Trusting God in the Good Times

By David Jeremiah


If the earth's axis were not tilted 23 degrees 27 minutes away from a line perpendicular to the plane of the earth's rotation around the sun, there would be no seasons on our planet. When the earth tilts toward the sun, it's summer. When tilted away, winter. Spring and fall are transitional seasons which separate winter and summer. If the earth's axis were perfectly vertical, we would only have one season all year long.

Living on the equator, you miss the dazzling colors of fall, a cozy fire in winter, a garden in spring, the beach in summer. Many folks love the seasons' variety--especially the summer season!

Summer is America's favorite season--homemade ice cream, a tan, sandals, cooking out, the beach, summer camp, long days, short nights, and the kids welcome NO SCHOOL!

From September to May, the average family's life revolves around the children's school activities. So summer has become a breathing space for needed "R&R&R&R&R" --Rest, Relaxation, Recreation, Reflection, and Refurbishment--vacations, yard work, house repair, family time, winding down from a frenetic pace.

While summer is a season, it's also a state of mind. We go through periods in life which are summer-like--when life is just plain good. We don't always plan the arrival of summer seasons or know when they may leave, but everyone experiences periods of prosperity and goodness. Calendar summers, as well as the summers of our spiritual lives, raise a question for Christians: Where does our focus go during the good times of life?

When experiencing sickness, financial pressure, rocky relationships, and other anxieties, we focus on God, never letting Him out of our sight as we cry out for relief. But, what does it mean to walk by faith in the good times, the summers of our spiritual life? It's easy to lose our normal focus from June through August. But, do we face the same temptation--spiritually speaking--when, as the sultry song says, "Summertime, and the living is easy. Fish are jumpin' and the cotton is high?"