Women’s Connect Devotional May 2022
Fellow sister,
Enjoy this devotional, written by Mattie Meese. May you be greatly encouraged and overwhelmed with the peace of Jesus. Thank you, Mattie, for sharing these truths with us!
Photo: Tess Guinery
As I’m writing this May blog, there are white blooms pouring into view of every window from where I am sitting. It’s overcast, and the birds hop from branch to branch while the trees have not yet fully grown. I just moved here, and I never knew Spring could be so lovely. I never knew the grass could welcome us with its vibrant hues of green like this. All of you who are Iowa familiar know that Iowa’s season changes are dramatic. After a drawn-out winter, our patience is tested, our expectations are charged, and the sun on our skin has never felt so good.
In His perfect way, God has created the world with natural cycles all around us to reflect His love, heart, and faithfulness—what a good grace. It was never an accident for the bareness of trees to allow greater clarity to the landscape in the winter months. You can see farther without their leaves, almost like the Lord says, “In the winter and the hard seasons of your life, you can see who I Am more clearly.” Transition and change are not always picturesque and non-anxious but often are filled with complex layers and emotions. Sometimes it is painful to let go, or it requires a time of mourning and grief. Solomon in Ecclesiastes makes a point of this in chapter 3. There is a time for everything, and change is vulnerable.
These new surroundings have beckoned several deep questions from within, but one of the most prominent I have had is… What does the Father desire for my response to be in transition seasons?
Photo: Mattie Meese
I am taken to the moment when Jesus was baptized. This marked a significant season change for Jesus. The majority of his public ministry didn’t happen until after his baptism. The Father publicly declared the identity of Jesus, calling Him,“[You are]my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Immediately after this miracle, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13). The devil taunts and challenges our Savior. I would highly encourage you to flip back to those pages this month and see how our Jesus responded to the lies whirled at him from the accuser.
The three I want to point out here are (01) Jesus displaying willful obedience by following the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, (02) Jesus responding to the deceiver’s lies with Scripture, and (03) Jesus trusting the Father.
Photo: Mattie Meese
It is often too easy to believe lies from the enemy or default to what our flesh finds safe in seasons of change. However, I believe God is inviting us deeper. In whatever season you are in, whether it is one of considerable change or one where change will one day come, I pray that we see Christ’s example in the passages above. Amidst change, may we be obedient to follow the leadership of the Spirit in our lives. In the vulnerable season of transition, when all we hear are lies and accusations, may we turn to Truth found in Scripture, and like Jesus, may we trust the Father and his steadfast and CONSISTENT love.
Our response to transitions is to rest in the one that never changes.