\u201cThere is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens.\u201d <\/p>Ecclesiastes 3:1<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n- Ashley stresses that, for everything, there is a season. God\u2019s timing is perfect, though we don\u2019t always understand it. Have you ever wanted something right away but not gotten it until much later? Have you ever asked for something and not gotten it, only to realize weeks, months, or maybe years later that what you did get was much better? How can these realities help us to trust in God as we move forward in our lives?
<\/li> - No season lasts forever. Both good times and bad times fade away. How can understanding this help you trust in God? How can you use God\u2019s words and teachings to grow in holiness and to see the good things He is doing in your life?
<\/li> - Ashley explains that God makes all things new. Have you ever seen this in your life after the \u201cdeath\u201d of something\u2014maybe a job opportunity, a relationship, or something else? Looking back, can you see God\u2019s hand in helping you through it? What new thing can you see God doing in your life today?
<\/li> - God wants good things in our lives. Just as He calmed the storm at sea when He walked the earth, he does so in our lives as well. When have you felt Him calming a storm in your life? What miracles has He worked for you?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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Hi, my name is Ashley Stevens with “Mountains Unmoved.” And today I’m excited to talk about how Jesus breathes life into our new seasons. I don’t know what type of change you’re walking through right now. Maybe your kid just left for college and you’re new empty nesters. Maybe you had a job change, a loss, maybe you’re starting college, or you recently moved, but I know our life is full of changes. And today I’m excited to talk about how God is present amidst the change and how we can truly trust He’s leading us to a beautiful next step. But before I begin, let’s open in prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opening Prayer<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIn the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen. God, I thank you for growth. I thank you for the beautiful plan you’ve laid before us, and I just pray for a greater patience in your will and greater trust in what you’re calling us to do next. It’s in your name I pray, Amen. Father, Son, Holy Spirit.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nGood Things Take Time<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nOur God is a God of second chances. He’s a God of fresh starts, He’s a God of new beginnings. Even so for me, at least sometimes we really just see what that new beginning would look like. Right? Sometimes we wish we could see what our life will look like five years from now or 20 years from now or 50 years now. Sometimes it’s hard because the timeline we would write for whatever path we’re walking down is much quicker than God’s timeline for our story and we’re not alone in this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Old Testament, it was prophesied that Jesus would be coming. But good things take time. From the fall of Adam and Eve to the call of Abraham, there was 2000 years. From the call of Abraham to when Moses received the 10 commandments, there was another 500 years. And from Moses’s time to the coming of Christ, there was another 1500 years. Now I’m certain God will work on a much faster timeline in our lives and in our story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what I notice about that promise is how the prophets handled that timeline. They were excited, they were eager to meet their savior. But the prophets, including Isaiah and Jeremiah and John the Baptist all had hope that God’s promises were true. They all prepared their hearts and their people for His coming. And what a beautiful witness for us when we wish everything would happen tomorrow and it doesn’t. To trust God’s promises and God’s plan for our future amidst the season changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Personal Season Change<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nRight now, I’m walking through a season change personally. I’ve been fortunate enough to stay at home with my kids since our oldest was born, she just turned 10. And during that time, I’ve gotten to speak and to write and to volunteer at their church, our church and their school events. I’ve gotten to coach their teams and I’m so thankful for that season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this past year, I just feel a strong peace that I’m called to go back to work for myself and for my family. Still my first interview with some seven months ago, I think I’ve done, I’ve lost count, 15 different interviews at eight or nine different companies. And we just, I just haven’t found the right fit yet for myself and for my family. And I don’t know if you’ve been there or are there too, when you really feel like God is calling you down a certain path, but it seems like so many hurdles and obstacles get in the way and you really begin to question, Lord, am I writing this path? Or is this truly the direction the season change that you’re calling me to right now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n