God here for us, always in control

The last few days have produced a variety of weather experiences for us here in North Idaho. Hot and dry temps with high winds, followed by clouds that brought thunderstorms and torrential rains.

One element that most people love about living in North Idaho is that we truly have four seasons. Now maybe the winters can be a bit long and dark, or the summers can feel cut short by the smoke that seems to arrive every August, but whatever the case, here in the Panhandle, we truly do get a four season experience.

And what’s so cool about that, whether its spring time and rainy, or autumn with the crisper mornings and leaves falling to the ground, with the changing of the weather and the seasons, we are reminded of God’s gracious promise to humanity.

After the floodwaters had subsided and Noah had made an altar and offered sacrifice upon it, God said this in Genesis 8:22 — “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Much later in Scripture, in the first chapter of the Book of Hebrews, we get another glimpse of God’s sustaining of the cosmos until its appointed end.

Speaking of Jesus, the Son of God, the author of Hebrews writes this in Hebrews 1:3, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.”

God can only make the promise to Noah, that as long as the earth remains, the seasons will not cease, the harvests will still be gathered, and day and night shall continue if He is the One upholding the universe.

And that’s exactly what Hebrews 1 affirms.

Friends, you live in a glorious area of God’s creation.

Psalm 19:1 says that “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” This seems especially true here amidst the beauty of North Idaho.

So as the weather changes and the seasons with it, know that the Triune God is upholding it by His power because He always keeps His promises, all of which find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ (See 2nd Corinthians 1:20).

So whether it’s cloudy and rainy, cold and snowy, or hot and sunny, know that God is in control, steering history toward His intended conclusion which culminates in the crowning of Jesus Christ as King.

Brandon Herron is lead pastor at First Baptist Church in Sandpoint.