A Season Of Rest Or Wilderness?

The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” It continues on to say in verse 11 that, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

As Christians, we believe that the Bible contains every bit of wisdom that we need to live a life that is pleasing to God. When we need guidance in our lives, it is the Scriptures that we refer to. In our lives as believers, we all have seasons that we experience in life. In the world we live in, we have 4 seasons i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Each of it has its own defining traits.

In the life of a Christian, we can also identify many seasons. There are at least 8 seasons that we can relate with, that is, Sowing, Reaping, Testing, Harvest, Wilderness, Pruning, Growing and Fruitfulness. Each season has peculiar characteristics that define its motion and eventual process.

In the past months and recent weeks, the whole world has experienced the unprecedented occurrence of COVID 19. It has affected economies, people’s livelihood, our socialising and also disrupted our daily lives. In all of this, we need to stop and turn our eyes to heaven and know the heart of God. I’d like to propose that there may be 2 seasons that most of us may be experiencing during this time. They are the Season of Rest and The Wilderness Season.

The Season Of Rest

This is a time in our lives when nothing is happening! It is a time of peace and quiet. It is a period when routines are non-existent. In Malaysia, as I am writing this article, the government has announced the Movement Control Order (MCO). Only essential business services are allowed to function. The rest are under mandatory closure where people have to work from home. Streets are unusually quiet, there are lesser cars on the road, most factories are closed and people are all indoors. Playgrounds are empty and the familiar sight of people going for morning exercises are non-existent.

For many people, it is a time of rest. The hustle and bustle of daily lives no longer exist. As we rest, it is apparent that nature is also healing itself. The air seems cleaner, oceans and seas are returning to its colour! Manila Bay in the Philippines has been reported to be changing colour from a murky brown to clear blue water!

So what should one do during this Season of Rest? We have two paths that we can choose to pursue, one leading to life, the other leading to death. We can either be complacent or zealous. A complacent person will rest on his/her laurels, taking it easy. The danger of complacency is that it can lead us to being vulnerable to spiritual dangers around us. It can also lead us to apathy. We may feel like we are doing well spiritually, when in fact we are not. We may also believe that we are self-sufficient and can handle what live throws at us. We may also be lead to believe that we are spiritually satisfied and fed. These are deadly assumptions.

We should during this season choose to be zealous. This path brings life. Zeal is a strong interest or devotion. It is intense enthusiasm placed behind something. Strengthening oneself is vital during this season of rest. We see the example of King Asa in 2 Chronicles 14. In his days, the land was quiet for 10 years. He had no war as the Lord had given him rest. What did he do? The Bible teaches us that he removed altars of foreign gods, took down wooden images, built fortified cities in Judah, made walls around them, and towers, gates and bars. He built zealously during his rest and prospered!

The picture for us is to strengthen ourselves spiritually for the days ahead. It means equipping ourselves and thinking as a student thirsting for knowledge, as opposed to someone who thinks he/she knows it all. It translates to spending more time fasting, praying and building up our inner man…FORTIFY! It’s a time to get deeper into the things of God…sign up for courses, attend conferences or seminars, invest in the spiritual! It will prepare us for the next season of our lives.

The Wilderness Season

This season may also feel like a time of lack, waiting and even suffering. Seasons like this can also be very lonely, especially if God appears to be silent. This is so true during the COVID 19. Many people have been affected economically and are suffering losses. Businesses are shut down with no income, daily wage earners are in dire straits. How are they to survive? What makes it devastating is thinking of those who have families and children. How are they to manage?

Again we have 2 choices here: we can either be a loser or a winner. A loser is someone who gives up and stops trying altogether. He allows the situation to get the better of him. If left unchecked, this course of action can lead to death. A person may decide that there is no reason for living and take his or her own life. This happened in Malaysia on 28^th March. A 62 year old patient who was under investigation for COVID 19 was found dead. It was found to be suicide. The reality is that people do choose to give up when facing challenges in life. The patient’s test results came out negative in the end.

Hope is such a powerful tool in life. A winner has hope that the end is near. He is constantly pushing for excellence and to succeed. In the wilderness season we learn to get by on less. We learn to hear the quiet things that surround us. It is a time to reflect and reorder. When one is lost or wondering in the wilderness, there is always hope to survive. We can live off the surroundings. If we know where to search, water and food is available. Shelter can be found. We can actually thrive in the wilderness. A winner will push through boundaries in order to come out victorious. Just think of athletes. They always want to better themselves and break records. The aim is always to win. They will push through the barrier of pain in order to come out on top.

Elijah in the Bible went through the wilderness season when he fled from the pursuit of Jezebel. Yet when he was in the wilderness, God caused a raven to bring food for him. An angel ministered to him. It was there that he heard the still small voice of the Lord. Furthermore, he received his assignment from the Lord in the wilderness. He was to anoint Hazael over Syria, Jehu as king over Israel and finally Elisha to take his place as a prophet. God also revealed to him that there were 7000 people in Israel that have been set apart. The wilderness was a place of hope and answers.