Promises God has for kids – and grownups too!

1. God will love you forever! “Give thanks to the Lord, because He is good. His faithful love continues forever.” Psalm 136:1
2. God will comfort you! “The Lord will comfort His people. He will show His tender love to those who are suffering.” Isaiah 49:13
3. God will never leave you! “...I will never leave you. I will never desert you.” Hebrew 13:5
4. God will keep you safe! “The Lord is good. When people are in trouble they can go to Him for safety”. Nahum 1:7
5. God keeps His promises! “...The Lord your God is God. He is the faithful God. He is covenant for all the time to come.” Deuteronomy 7:9

This week the Lutheran church begins the Season of Lent.
Many other denominations observe Lent as well. I thought that an explanation of what Lent is
might be helpful. It is one of the seasons of the church year. To know the seasons of the
Christian year is to know the milestones of Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Lent is all about preparation. We prepare our hearts and minds for Good Friday and Easter,
those days that mark Christ's passion and then his victory over death. We experience the
significance of holy week more when we're prepared for it by retracing Christ's journey to the
cross. The season of Lent starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter, lasting for 40 days (not
counting Sundays). Each day of Lent symbolizes one of the 40 days Jesus fasted in the
wilderness before Satan tempted him. During Lent, Christians fast from something that can pull
our minds way from Christ (TV, social media, chocolate, etc.).

The goal is to fill the void with an invigorated prayer life and increased reflection on God's holiness, our sin, and Christ's perfect
obedience even unto death.

Winter, spring, summer, and fall are God’s seasons. I have always been a big fan of summer and spring
and not too fond of fall and winter. But since I have moved to Alabama, I am giving fall and winter a
second chance. As I drive through the countryside, I catch myself thinking about how beautiful the
landscape will look when the leaves start to change color. Knowing the winter won’t be bitterly cold –
and won’t last too long- has given me the opportunity to appreciate fall and the beauty God has created.

I like taking a ride and watching people setting out pumpkins in the yard with hay bales and planting
mums in their yards. I don’t remember seeing this too much in the past. Have I missed this season all
these years, or is it just that as I get older, I appreciate God’s world just a little more?
The latter is what I concluded. The Bible says, “This is day that the Lord hath made, and I will rejoice in
it.” Each day He has given me beauty to enjoy, so I think I should sit back and take in this glorious
creation.

God is the best artist in the world, for only He can create such different themes. We see many artists
that try to capture the seasons on their canvases by painting what they see around them, and they do a
wonderful job. However, neither picture nor paint could ever replace the real thing splashed across the
sky and spilled over the earth like the Master’s display of His finest artwork. God’s creativity is
unmatched, for every day is different, just like every snowflake in winter.

Thank you, God, that You give us each day to appreciate the beauty You created.