Summer and Winter, Day and Night

The days are noticeably shorter now that we have passed the summer solstice, the day in June when there are the greatest number of hours between sunrise and sunset. Autumn will soon be here, followed by winter. Spring will come, and then summer again. We can count on it, and that is a marvelous thing!

What if the Kansas farmers decided to plant rice instead of winter wheat, but still hoped for a harvest in June? What if the tomato seedlings we set out this summer suddenly changed their growth habit and needed to be in a cool, shady spot? What if polar bears suddenly appeared in Iowa and flamingoes migrated to Antarctica? How confusing!

The earth, in spite of concern about the changes occurring, is still quite orderly. God made it so, and that was specifically for our benefit. After the great flood that destroyed all living things except Noah’s family and the creatures on the ark, God said to Himself, "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease." (Genesis 8:22 NIV) Did God need that promise to Himself so as to keep His power under control? No, it was for us. We need that order. We need the structure in our lives of sunrise and sunset and the turning of the seasons. The alternating of day and night is not the same everywhere, nor is the progression of the seasons. The North and South Poles have long, long nights and then long days. Some places on earth have a rainy season followed by a dry one; some have a warm or blazing hot season and then cool or absolutely frigid. All are alike in having some measurements along the way as time passes. Even destructive abnormalities of weather have some predictability: We have tornado season, hurricane season, dry forest-fire season.

Here in the Midwest, “I’ll be glad when it’s not so hot,” is followed soon enough by, “I wish we’d get past this terrible, cold weather.” That’s just it: we can depend on the orderly progression of the earth’s time indicators. They testify to us of God’s care for His creation!

Scripture quoted from The New International Bible is used by permission.

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com