Genesis 8:22
“While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease.”
INSIGHT
-Winter in Hebrew is written as choreph which is the coldest of the four seasons & begins during winter-solstice. During this time, there is plenty of rainfall or snow where some animals hibernate to keep warm & others migrate in search for pasture. Winter is a time to sow seed in expectation for a harvest & most often attributed to a challenging period of our lives.
-We are told that; God is the author of all seasons, seedtime & harvest time, cold & heat, winter & summer. Winter is often associated with cold & seedtime, in the hope that one plants good seeds of love, kindness, goodness, integrity, hard-work etc with the expectation to reap what they sow (Gal 6:7). It is a cold season thus requires physical & spiritual protection from disease & harm through the help of the Holy Spirit. After winter has passed & rain is gone, flowers blossom & turtledoves rejoice in the land (Song of Sol 2:11-12). Sometimes we face difficulties in our relationships, marriages, finances, work, businesses, health & many other challenges that we often pray about for ourselves & others. When we put God first in all things & hold fast faith in Jesus who is the author & finisher of our faith, we emerge victorious through Him & in Him Who gives us strength, for the glory of His name.
PRAYER
Almighty God we come before You today with thanksgiving in our hearts for Your goodness & mercy that You have accorded unto us from everlasting to everlasting. You have created us in Your own image & made all seasons according to Your will, how magnificent are You Lord & Your glorious splendor is evident in all the earth. You have said that anyone who calls on Your name shall be saved. We humbly ask You Lord to continue blessing us & giving us special grace always & especially during times of winter that we may emerge victorious over all difficult situations through You Who gives us strength. Answer all our prayers Lord & give us the desires of our hearts. All glory & praise belongs to You Lord now & forever. Amen
Proverbs 20:4
“The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.”
INSIGHT
-A sluggard in laziness lays in waiting for others to plant during winter by reason of cold & begs in harvest but has no gain. He does not plan his affairs properly nor invest his time & money wisely like others which hinders him from achieving his/her objectives & most often unable to cater for his basic needs. A virtuous woman on the other hand is not afraid of snow & clothes her household with scarlet (Pr 31:21). We know that there is a time to plant, a time to harvest & a time for every purpose under heaven. We are therefore called to plant during winter & through Gods’ merciful love we will surely harvest, some 30 fold, some 60 fold & others 100 fold.
PRAYER
Almighty Father, we thank You for the knowledge & strength You have accorded unto us that we may work hard in our various capacities as if we are working for You. Many people are wasting away in laziness & get rich quick activities including young men & women, have mercy on us all Lord & direct us in the way we should go. Bless us all Lord & expand our territories. Remember Jehovah Rapha all those who are sick in hospitals; including our family members & friends Lord, we believe that by Your stripes You have already healed them merciful Father. You are our Saviour & only God, we praise You & glorify Your holy name now & forever. Amen
2 Timothy 4:18-21
“And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen! Greet Prisca and Aquila, and the household of Onesiphorus. Erastus stayed in Corinth, but Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick. Do your utmost to come before winter. Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brethren.”
INSIGHT
-Apostle Paul requests Timothy to visit him in the dungeon before winter where he was held prisoner by the Romans. It was a time Paul was faced by difficulties but still had faith in God; in the hope of being delivered from all evil works. He was faced by the sad reality that death is inevitable having finished his work, but held on to the grace of God which yields our salvation, in the hope of being preserved for the heavenly kingdom; thus giving all the glory to God forever. We are often faced by the same realities of winter but are reminded to always hold on to Christ Who died for the whole world so that we who believe in Him may be restored & have eternal life with Him.
PRAYER
You are holy & exulted Lord King of glory now & forever. Thank You for dying for us on the cross for us all that at the end of time we may live with You forever. Uphold us Lord when we are faced by difficulties & help us to accept Your holy will in our lives. Help us to commit our lives firmly in You Lord for You are the only One who knows our fears & troubles, & will deliver us from them all. You are ever present with us Father, we place all our trust in You Lord Who all glory & honour belongs; forever & ever. Amen
Jeremiah 36:22
“Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him.”
INSIGHT
-Jehoiakim king of Judah was resting in the winter house, a separate portion of the palace which had a fire on the hearth to keep him warm & cushion him again diseases associated with cold. After Baruch had read Jeremiah’s scroll to the people, they went into the winter house to expose Gods’ word to the king who did not heed to it but destroyed the scroll by burning it on the hearth & imprisoned Jeremiah. God was merciful to Jeremiah & delivered him from the dungeon when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. In the same way, God always delivers us from unfavorable encounters & heals our wounds by His unfailing love.
PRAYER
We thank You Father for loving us with an everlasting love & for protecting us since our inception. Guide us Lord so that we may always hear & act according to Your word Lord. Our lives belong to You Jesus, may Your will be done in our lives, families & nation merciful Father. Many are the temptations & persecutions that befall us, but Father You deliver us from them all. Strengthen us & shower us with Your grace Jesus so that we may always keep You at the center of our lives. You are ever present with us Lord, we place all our trust in You. We give You thanks & praise all the time for You are good & Your mercies endures forever. Amen
Matthew 24:20-21
“And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
INSIGHT
-The events of the great tribulation will be preferred at any other time other than winter & sabbath but Christ will shorten these days for the salvation of His children. In the same chapter, Jesus reveals that the fig tree will give us a sign of the end times, when it becomes tender & puts forth leaves that summer will be near (Mat 24:32). He also reveals that despite these events happening during summer or winter no one knows the day nor the hour but only the Father. Jesus encourages us to stay alert in obedience; holding onto grace through the help of the Holy Spirit so that we may endure to the end & partake of eternal life with Him.
SUMMARY
-Winter in Hebrew is written as choreph which is the coldest of the four seasons which is characterised by plenty of rainfall or snow. During this time some animals hibernate to keep warm & others migrate in search for pasture & people sow seed in expectation for a harvest. We know that God is the author of all seasons, seedtime & harvest time, cold & heat, winter & summer (Gen 8:22). Winter is often associated with cold & seedtime, & sometimes a challenging period of our live but we remain optimistic that once we plant good seeds of love, kindness, goodness, integrity, hard-work etc; we will reap desirable fruits. Instead of planting during winter, a sluggard in laziness lays in waiting for others to plant during winter by reason of cold & begs in harvest but has no gain (Pro 20:4). He does not plan his affairs properly nor invest his time & money wisely like others which hinders him from achieving his/her objectives & most often unable to cater for his basic needs. A virtuous woman on the other hand is not afraid of snow & clothes her household with scarlet (Pr 31:21). We are therefore called to plant physical & spiritual seeds during winter & through Gods’ merciful love we will surely harvest, some 30 fold, some 60 fold & others 100 fold. During winter, king Jehoiakim of Judah was resting in the winter house, a separate portion of the palace which had a fire on the hearth to keep him warm & cushion him again diseases associated with cold (Jer 36:22) when Jeremiah & Baruch visited him. They revealed Gods’ word to him but he did not heed to it & destroyed the scroll by burning it on the hearth & imprisoned Jeremiah. God was merciful to Jeremiah & delivered him from the dungeon when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem. Apostle Paul was also thrown into the dungeon by the Romans & requested Timothy to visit him before winter. It was a time Paul was faced by difficulties but still had faith in God & hope of being delivered from all evil works (2 Tim 4:18-21 ). He was also faced by the sad reality that death is inevitable having finished his work, but held on to the grace of God which yields our salvation, in the hope of being preserved for the heavenly kingdom; thus giving all the glory to God. Sometimes are faced by the same realities of winter in our relationships, marriages, finances, work, businesses, health & many other challenges that affect our well-being. We are reminded that after the winter season has passed & rain is gone, flowers blossom & turtledoves rejoice in the land (Song of Sol 2:11-12). We therefore have hope of a better life in the near future & are encouraged to hold onto Christ the author & finisher of our faith, Who gives us life & strength to push on through His everlasting grace.
PRAYER
We pour out our hearts to You Lord our Savior & pillar of strengthen, have mercy on us Father, cleanse us from all unrighteousness & write our names on the book of life. We humbly ask You to give us the grace to keep pressing on in all we do Holy Spirit; that we may achieve that which You have prepared for us here on earth & in heaven when Christ comes back. Answer all our prayer Jehovah that we may live according to Your will Almighty Father. Have mercy on all those who do not know You Lord & strengthen them in Your salvation. We put all our trust in You Father, direct us, our families & leaders especially in times of difficulties that we may emerge victorious in all things for the glory of Your name. Amen