Spring | An Expression of the Heart of God
by: Anne Coleman Hufham
Every year I find myself falling more in love with Spring. It is truly amazing to see the heart of God that is interwoven in the changing of seasons. Winter for some is a season of cozying up and enjoying the rest that comes with the sun going down at 4:30 pm. As we are naturally drawn to spend more time inside, it is a season of turning inward to tend to the garden of our own hearts. A time of reflection, of pursuing intimacy with God, sowing seeds, growing deeper. I heard once “in order to grow tall, you must first grow deep.”
As February comes, our hearts ache to see Life again. We pass massive trees that once were flourishing, vibrant, fruitful trees that now appear barren. As temperatures rise, our hope is stirred to feel the sun shining down on our faces and its warmth wrap around us until out of nowhere, Life appears again.
Spring is such a beautiful expression of the heart of God. He brings His life-giving Holy Spirit to places in our hearts that we thought were dead and barren, and He breathes Life again. There are many spring days where “the rain soaks the earth,” nourishing every space and giving drink and refreshment to the dry land. Like the plants in winter coming into spring, the sun shines down on them and the warmth of the sun brings them out of hiding. The Son of God came for us and the love of God sets us free. The Holy Spirit is poured out upon us like rain, satisfying our every thirst. He awakens us by His word, by His creation, and He transforms us into His beautiful bride.
Authority and power come when we are awakened to the Person within us. A life of power looks like a lifestyle of adoring Jesus. Intimacy with Him has to be the most important thing in our lives. Like the Shulamite Bride, we must push past ourselves, our insecurities, doubts, introspections and listen to the voice of the Beloved. She cries, “Listen! I hear my lover’s voice. I know it's him coming to me– leaping with joy over the mountains, skipping in love over the hills that separate us to come to me.”
He responds:
“The one I love calls to me:
Arise, my dearest. Hurry, my darling.
Come away with me!
I have come as you have asked to draw you to my heart and lead you out.
For now is the time, my beautiful one.
The season has changed, the bondage of your barren winter has ended, and the season of hiding is over and gone.
The rains have soaked the earth and left it bright with blossoming flowers. The season for singing and pruning the vines has arrived.”
Are there places in your own life where you ache to see Life again? Do you hear the voice of God calling you to come away with Him?
The Lord wants to breathe His Life into every part of you, filling you with the fullness of His Spirit. The Lord has chosen you to come and encounter His love in a way that changes you forever.
Be expectant!
To love well as Christians, we must grasp the depths to which love went for us and understand how deeply we are loved. The Bible tells the story of a good Father who passionately loves His children, giving the most valuable possession of heaven to redeem us. Love paid a high price for us.