Summer has finally officially arrived, those “lazy, crazy, hazy days” as sung about many years ago by the legendary Nat King Cole. Everyone waits once winter has settled in, for the warmth of the sun to once again free us of our overcoats and heating bills. Being a Christian can be similar to the seasons also. We enjoy the warmth of fellowship and yet every so often we feel the desolate winter cold in our spirit. The Bible speaks of these times as mountaintops and valleys. The mountaintop, being those times when we feel God’s presence and the valleys, when we are not so pragmatically aware of His nearness. Yet we are told in 2nd Corinthians 5:7 that we live by faith and not by sight. The “feeling” that the mountaintop, or in the context of this writing, the summer may be preferred, but the winter does come sometimes. In this season, we need to remember, the promise found in Deuteronomy 31:6 and again in Hebrews 13:5 that God will never leave us or forsake us. Jesus, in John’s Gospel 6:37 said it this way, “… Whoever comes to me, I will never cast them away”. This past Sunday, in our study of 1 Samuel, we saw, in Chapter 23, David hiding in the wilderness and going down “to the rock.” We should follow his example and when we find ourselves in a “desert” place, go to our rock, the Lord Jesus, then soon, as in David’s case, we will find the oasis and be refreshed. Enjoy the summer and find warmth in it refreshing ourselves physically, but also find spiritual warmth in the Holy Spirit, and be refreshed in the area that is eternal. God’s word and prayer are capable of carrying us through any wintertime experience to bring us into a season of joy.

In Him,
Rev Larry Sassmann
Assist Pastor