In Florida, we don’t have a traditional “spring.” Well, we don’t really have any winter, which makes it harder to notice the seasons change. Summer lasts forever, and blends into fall sometime in December. Fall and winter trade off days all through January and February, with summer trying to break back through every now and again. But Spring takes her time showing up in earnest and doesn’t hang around for long. And if you didn’t know what to look for, you might miss her completely.
I miss the days of my Midwestern childhood. I miss seeing the snow give way to grass and waiting for the day my mom’s tulips would bloom. What a delight it was to throw open the windows and smell the lily-of-the-valley that grew along the side of the house. It was as if the melting of the snow and the reemergence of the sun had baptized the land and the whole world had been brought back to life again.
Renewal
It’s not just nature that springs back to life in the Spring, though. Quite often the renewal we see in the world ends up being reflected right back into our hearts!
The Church celebrates that very renewal through the seasons of Lent and Easter. We close out the dark days of winter as Lent begins and celebrate the ultimate renewal of Life as Easter morning dawns in early spring.
As we head into this time of renewal together, I’d like to offer you some special verses from Sacred Scripture that speak to the renewal of springtime. Renewal of the natural world, of our faith, and of ourselves.
Of the Earth
// “For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my friend, my beautiful one, and come!" -Song of Solomon 2:11-13
// “I will give the seasonal rain to your land, the autumn and spring rains, that you may have your grain, wine and oil to gather in.” -Deuteronomy 11:14
// “Ask the Lord for rain in the spring, the Lord who brings storm clouds and heavy rains, who gives to everyone grain in the fields.” -Zechariah 10:1
// “As the earth brings forth its shoots, and a garden makes its seeds spring up, so will the Lord God make justice spring up, and praise before all nations.” -Isaiah 61:11
// “The wilderness and the parched land will exult; the Arabah will rejoice and bloom; Like the crocus it shall bloom abundantly, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; the will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God." -Isaiah 35:1-2
Of Our Faith
// “A clean heart create for me, God; renew within me a steadfast spirit.” -Psalm 51:12
// “Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord; as certain as the dawn is his coming. He will come to us like rain, like spring rain that waters the earth.” -Hosea 6:3
// “There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot the plant.” -Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
// “By faith, we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.” -Hebrews 11:3
// “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” -Isaiah 55:1
WRITE + PRAY
We invite you to sit with the Word and unpack it in a uniquely personal way, finding your own story.
Discover your story within His.
Of Ourselves
// “Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall be quickly healed.” -Isaiah 58:8
// “I will pour out water upon the thirsty ground, streams upon the dry land; I will pour out my spirit upon your offspring, my blessing upon your descendants. They shall spring forth amid the grass like poplars beside flowing waters.” -Isaiah 44:3-4
// “Why are you so anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wildflowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like any of them.” -Matthew 6:28-29
// “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.” -Psalm 118:24
// “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold new things have come.” -2 Corinthians 5:17
Awaken, Renew, and Restore!
As I sit and write this post at my kitchen table, all of our first-floor windows are open. I can not only feel the breeze that blows through the house, but hear it, too. I hear the wind chimes in the neighbor’s tree and smell the hamburgers someone has thrown on their grill for a Saturday lunch. And the sun shines brightly in a cloudless sky. The Florida springtime has arrived.
A time of renewal has come, friends. How will we answer God’s invitation? Will we sink our fingers into the soil and work with the Creator to bring forth new life? Will we acknowledge what the Spirit is doing in our hearts as Lent comes to a close and cultivate the life He is bringing to birth within us?
Let’s dive into the Word together this Spring! It is alive and waiting to be made new again in each one of us!
Scripture Verses to Pray in the Springtime #BISblog //Click to tweet
Beth Williby is a mom of four pretty amazing humans and has been married to her college sweetheart for twenty years. She does her best praying through singing and feeding the people she loves. Having grown up in the Midwest, she now calls Northeast Florida home. You can find out more about her here. Read all of Beth's posts here.
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