Autumn Blessings
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Psalms 34:1
Friday, September 22, 2017, my absolute favorite season of the year began as always when the Autumn Equinox marks the end of summer and the first day of fall for all living in the Northern Hemisphere. It means cooler temperatures, but not always cold temperatures in Georgia. It means shorter days, longer nights, and the end of Day Light Savings Time, thus equinox means equality in Latin; twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of night. These falling temperatures, shorter days and longer nights force trees to prepare for winter. During this process, trees in our part of the country will shed billions and trillions of leaves, but not before the viewing of God’s most marvelous and spectacular color show of the year. As leaves that were formerly green begin to lose pigmentation, depending on the species of the tree, we will watch them turn into brilliant, bold and beautiful shades of red, yellow, orange, brown, and even maroon and burgundy.
This year the cooler temperatures have been a little slow in coming; we have experienced so much rain. Thankfully hurricane season is coming to an end!! The warm and wet temperatures are a disappointing delay to the “Color Show” of the year. So as the days become dry and sunny followed by cooler temperatures at night, we will begin to see the most beautiful colors produced by the Master Creator Himself. Amazing!!! I love nature, and I’m drawn closer to Him in love and admiration through what He has made. I stand in awe of His handiwork. God is magnificently organized, and everything He has created is well thought out with the plan of His choice. He does ALL things well.
The Webster Dictionary defines Autumn as (1) the third season of the year, (2) the harvest or fruits of autumn and (3) the time of maturity or decline; latter portion; third stage. I like number three best. A period of maturity and third stage denotes growth, experience, and process, and decline indicates dying, decreasing and transitioning. Solomon states in Ecclesiastes 3:1;11 that “to everything, there is a season and a time for every purpose under the heaven…He hath made everything beautiful in his time. I can’t help it; my imagination runs rapid and wild when I go outside. Just think about it; God has a plan and purpose for EVERYTHING! And just as He has carefully thought out a plan and purpose for every tree, flower, insect, and animal, He has an even greater plan and purpose for His prize creation - MAN.
In Psalms 34:1, David declares,“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” My mind began to wonder as I recited this verse one day during prayer - what does it mean to bless the Lord? Yes, it means to praise, to worship and to adore Him, but it has to mean more than that. How does one know if they are really blessing the Lord? When God blesses us, it denotes happiness, fortune, prosperity, and favor, but God doesn’t need happiness, fortune, prosperity, or favor. What can I give God? He owns everything. So I asked Him, “What does it REALLY mean to bless you?” And He simply said, “Agree with Me.” He went on to say that, “to agree with me is to be one with me and that means EVERYTHING about me. My purpose is very clear - My Kingdom Come; My Will Be Done.” God’s purpose in manifesting himself as the Son of God was to destroy the works of the devil; this is why He came (I John 3:8). His Kingdom must come, and Satan’s kingdom must go. His Kingdom begins in the hearts of men and women who choose to follow Him comes what may, no matter the cost. We submit to His Kingship, His Lordship, His Law, His Statues, His Commandment, His Will, and His Way. We become one with Him, one with His Word, one with His plan and purpose for our lives. This is not always easy; life is hard. And we like to have our own way, but we have a God who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He is always Faithful. Thus to bless the Lord at all times is a declaration that no matter what happens on this journey with God, I am in full agreement with His plan and purpose for my life. God knows what He has predestined me to be, but my choice to be one with Him in an agreement is what guarantees the fulfillment of my destiny.
As I was admiring the colors of autumn one day, it just came to mind that these beautiful colors are the colors of death. These colors can only be viewed when leaves are dying. How beautiful it must be to God when He sees one of this children take up his or her cross every day and slowly die out to himself/herself. They have submitted to the process, and are allowing HIM to do HIS perfect work in them. They have said You increase, and I decrease; not my will, but your will be done; where You lead, I will follow. As the writer of Hebrews states, “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame…” Hebrews 12:2 AMPC. Jesus endured the cross, the suffering and the pain for the joy/the prize He receives while watching His children mature, grow, and take on His Nature through the process of dying out to oneself. You see my friend; we are His prize; we are His Autumn Blessings. So no matter where you are today on your journey, bless Him and let His praise continually be in your mouth.
GO G.R.E.E.N.
Tonda Loyd Henry