7 Reasons Winter Reminds Us to Hold on to Hope

Nothing stays the same, and the seasonal changes remind us of that. Ecclesiastes 3 gives an account of many of these contrasts. There are times to be born and times to die, times to plant and times to uproot (verse 2), times to tear down and to build (verse 3), times to weep and to laugh (verse 4), a time to keep and a time to throw away (verse 6), and times to speak and to be silent (verse 7). God has made everything beautiful in its time (verse 11). In these winter seasons, we can be confident that God has ordained the days and is Lord over it all.

God is Lord in both springtime and winter. Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” The wonderful hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness testifies to the faithfulness of God displayed in nature. It says:

“Summer and winter and springtime and harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love”

These words can give us hope that God is faithful in all seasons. Even though the seasons will eventually change, God is unchanging. So “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). He is the constant in all of the uncertainty and change that we face. This is a comfort and a hope to hold on to.

Photo credit: Unsplash/ Beth Jnr

Ecclesiastes 3 speaks of a time for everything, but it also says, “Everything is meaningless. All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return” (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20). Animals and humans alike will eventually return to the ground. King Solomon, who penned these words, attained great wealth, power, and wisdom. Yet, he came to the conclusion that it was all vanity.

When we have a view that is confined to what we see all around us, it can be very easy to feel a sense of hopelessness. The longing for purpose and meaning that we crave can only be found in God. Whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, we can know that the Lord has a purpose and the ultimate view. He is infinite, omnipotent, and omnipresent. We are not.

The Holocaust survivor Corrie Ten Boom (1892-1983) wrote The Hiding Place which tells the story of how she and her family helped to hide Jews to protect them from the Nazis. It is estimated that they saved around 800 lives. Eventually, an informant told of their activities and Corrie, her father Casper and sister Betsie were arrested. Her father died ten days after imprisonment. Corrie and her sister were eventually sent to Ravensbruck concentration camp in Germany, where they would hold daily Bible study and prayer in secret within their barracks, despite the horrendous conditions they were subjected to. Betsie tragically died in the camp, but Corrie went on to share her story, and forgave her enemies, which led people worldwide to hear the hope found in Jesus.

Corrie said, “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.” If her perspective had been earthbound as she witnessed gross injustice and suffering, there would be little hope. Just darkness, disarray, and devastation. But Corrie and her family knew the Lord and they were motivated to share God’s love at the risk of their lives. Corrie trusted in the truth and hope found in God’s Word.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Sergey Turkin

As some animals are busy storing food to prepare for the winter, we would do well to spend our days hiding God’s Word in our heart. When times of darkness threaten to overwhelm our soul, meditating upon the Scripture we have stored up over the days, weeks, months and years, is edifying and needed. We can say with the psalmist: “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him” (Psalm 62:5).

It is only the Lord that can meet the deepest longings of our hearts. Even when we lament and cannot lift up our voice, the cries of our heart reach Him. Through it all, we need to yield to Him as both Savior and Lord of our life.

4. New Life Will Come Again. Yet, There Is Still Life in Winter

The spring reminds us that there will be new life as the flowers begin to bloom and baby lambs are born. God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). We do not have to wait for winter to end to know that there is life abundant, even in this seemingly barren season.

Even when the frost grips the grass, the water is frozen over and the branches seem lifeless, a little robin bounces cheerily along. The chatter of a multitude of beaks from some tangled nest up high, sing songs to their Creator. Stars shimmer against the darkest of nights, yet that is where they are most beautifully seen. It is both a challenge and a call to look for the many blessings in the difficult seasons of life. There are many, if we would only stop to look.

5. Darkness Does Not Have the Final Word

Jesus declared “it is finished” on the cross (John 19:30). He has overcome the power of sin and death in the world (John 16:33). Death could not hold the Son of God, and He rose victorious, conquering the enemy and sealing his certain destruction. With all of the suffering and sin in our world, we must remember that Jesus has won the war.

It is not a battle between good and evil, with us desperately hoping that God will win. Nothing surprises God and He planned from before the world began to rescue and redeem His people. He chose to save us willingly and it is only God who saves (Isaiah 43:11; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 6:23). Jesus is the true light of the world, and it is necessary to remind ourselves in all seasons that “the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).

As believers, we begin to see things as they really are: ourselves as sinners and Jesus as our only hope, our Savior and the light of the world (John 8:12).

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Mkovalevskaya

Seeds under the ground are buried below the earth and nothing seems to happen to the watchful eye. Yet below the ground, much is happening in the dark earth. At just the right time, and in just the right conditions, the seed begins to break forth.

In our own lives, to a watching world, nothing much may be happening. But the Lord is doing a work in our heart and our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is at work and cares a great deal about our spiritual heart condition. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Do not underestimate how the Lord is at work in and through us in winter seasons. There may not be much to see at first glance, but over time, as we trust, surrender, and walk in obedience to Jesus, His Spirit continues to work. He can sanctify us in those dark, hard seasons. Often, it is in those times of quiet desperation and crying out to God in our pain, suffering and waiting, that our hope is rekindled as we depend on Him alone. When we sit in the darkness, longing for the light, His Spirit is shining light in our heart on those places that we would rather bury or ignore. Yet God loves us and is doing a work in our heart. He is healing, refining and purifying us for our good and His glory.

Just like trees are pruned back in winter to encourage growth, it can feel like we are being cut back at times. It may be that He wants us to be even more fruitful for His kingdom that we have to endure great trials. Jesus says, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me” (John 15:2-6).

It is necessary to abide in Jesus, because we can do nothing apart from Him.

Photo credit: ©Getty Images/jchizhe

We speak often on what Jesus came to do in the past and how that impacts our life in the present. Yet, God has set eternity in the heart of every single person (Ecclesiastes 3:11). There is an eternal outcome for us all. Whether we repent and believe and trust in Christ’s finished work on the cross and His resurrection, or not, will affect us for eternity. Jesus was the firstborn of the dead (Colossians 1:18), and we can hope in the risen Christ and have the certainty of eternal life with Him (John 3:16; Romans 6:23; John 17:3; John 5:24).

God can be known because He has stepped into our world and made Himself known through Christ. Even the beauty and majesty found in nature testifies to its Creator. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands (Psalm 19:1). Every unique snowflake, the colorful array of autumn leaves, and the stars which are numbered and named (Psalm 147:4), remind us of the hope that we can know in Jesus, who upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). Each season points to our Creator, our Savior and our Lord. That should cause us to abound in hope in all our winters. He is with His people, now and for eternity.

Photo credit: Unsplash