To Everything There Is A Season Under The Sun

By Pastor Joel – Open Heaven Christian Church – Fisher, Arkansas

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Life is never meant to remain stagnant. Just as God designed the earth to move through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, He has also ordained spiritual seasons that every believer will experience throughout their walk with Him. The God who changes the face of the earth with the passing of each season is the same God who changes the landscape of our lives according to His divine purpose.

Many people resist change because they have grown comfortable with where they are. Yet throughout Scripture, God continually moved His people from one season into another. Abraham left his homeland. Moses left the wilderness. David moved from shepherd to king. Ruth moved from bitterness to blessing. Peter went from fisherman to apostle. Even Jesus moved through seasons—from hidden preparation to public ministry, from suffering to resurrection, and finally to glory.

No season lasts forever because God is always accomplishing something greater than what we can presently see.

God Established Seasons in Creation

When God created the heavens and the earth, He established the natural order of seasons.

“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
— Genesis 8:22 (KJV)

These changing seasons are not random events. They are reminders of God’s faithfulness and His perfect timing. Every year we witness the same cycle:

• Winter gives way to spring.
• Spring blossoms into summer.
• Summer matures into autumn.
• Autumn returns once again to winter.

No matter how long winter lasts, spring always arrives.

Likewise, no matter how difficult a spiritual season may become, God has already determined when it will end.

The Atmosphere Changes Before the Season Changes

One of the fascinating truths about nature is that the atmosphere begins changing before the season officially arrives.

The temperature shifts.

The wind changes direction.

The daylight becomes longer or shorter.

Leaves begin changing colors.

Birds migrate.

Flowers begin budding.

Cloud patterns change.

Even animals instinctively recognize that a new season is approaching.

The atmosphere announces what the calendar has not yet revealed.

Likewise, in our spiritual lives, God often allows us to sense changes long before we fully understand them.

You may begin feeling restless.

Old desires begin fading.

Doors begin closing or opening.

New opportunities begin appearing.

Business and/or personal relationships begin shifting.

Your prayers begin changing. Sometimes your prayers begin to turn to weeping or joy.

The Holy Spirit begins stirring your heart toward something unfamiliar and much deeper spiritually.

These are often spiritual indicators that God is preparing you for another season1.

Spiritual Seasons Carry Spiritual Atmospheres

Just as every natural season has its own atmosphere, every spiritual season has its own unique characteristics.

There are seasons of planting.

Seasons of waiting.

Seasons of growth.

Seasons of pruning.

Seasons of harvest.

Seasons of rest.

Seasons of testing.

Seasons of promotion.

Each season feels different because God is accomplishing something different.

The Apostle Paul understood this.

He experienced seasons of abundance and seasons of need.

“I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound…”
— Philippians 4:12 (KJV)

His circumstances changed, but God’s purpose never did.

Spring: The Season of New Beginnings

Spring represents life.

Dead trees begin producing buds.

Flowers bloom.

Seeds awaken beneath the soil.

Everything begins again.

Spiritually, spring often comes after long periods of hardship.

God breathes fresh vision.

Fresh hope.

Fresh joy.

Fresh purpose.

Perhaps your prayer life comes alive again.

The Scriptures become exciting once more.

You begin sensing God opening doors you never imagined.

Isaiah described this beautifully.

“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it?”
— Isaiah 43:19 (KJV)

Notice God’s question:

“Shall ye not know it?”

God expects His people to recognize when a new season begins.

Summer: The Season of Growth

Summer is when growth becomes visible.

Roots deepen.

Plants mature.

Fruit begins forming.

The long days provide everything needed for development.

Spiritually, summer often represents a season of labor.

God stretches our faith.

He teaches us discipline.

He develops endurance.

He strengthens our character.

James writes,

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.”
— James 1:3 (KJV)

Growth often feels uncomfortable because God is preparing us for responsibilities we may not yet be ready to carry.

Autumn: The Season of Harvest and Letting Go

Autumn is perhaps the most misunderstood season.

It is both beautiful and painful.

Fruit is gathered.

Harvest is celebrated.

Yet leaves begin falling.

Trees release what once gave them beauty.

God often does the same with us.

He asks us to release old habits.

Old identities.

Old fears.

Old comforts.

Not because they were necessarily sinful—but because they no longer belong in the next season.

Jesus said,

“Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.”
— John 15:2 (KJV)

Pruning is never punishment.

Pruning prepares us for greater fruitfulness.

Winter: The Season of Preparation

Winter appears lifeless.

Trees stand bare.

Fields seem empty.

Nothing appears to be happening.

Yet beneath the frozen ground, life continues.

Roots are growing deeper.

Moisture is being stored.

Seeds are protected beneath the soil.

Spiritually, winter often feels like silence.

Prayers seem unanswered.

Opportunities disappear.

Life slows down.

God appears distant.

Yet winter is often God’s classroom.

Many of God’s greatest servants experienced winters.

Joseph spent years forgotten in prison.

David wandered through wilderness caves.

Elijah hid beside the brook.

John the Baptist lived in the desert.

Even Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness before beginning His ministry.

Winter is where God prepares people for spring.

Spiritual Indicators That Change Is Coming

Just as meteorologists recognize atmospheric changes before weather systems arrive, believers can often recognize spiritual indicators that God is moving in their life.

Some of these indicators include:

• A growing dissatisfaction with remaining where you are.
• Doors unexpectedly closing.
• New opportunities appearing and doors being opened.
• Increased spiritual hunger.
• A deeper desire for intimate prayers.
• Conviction becoming stronger.
• Old ways of doing things begin losing their attraction.
• Divine ministry appointments with people God places in your path may appear.
• Scripture speaking with unusual clarity.
• Dreams, visions, or burdens that align with God’s Word.
• You experience an unexplainable peace even while everything around you is changing.

These indicators do not mean life will become easier.

They simply mean God is preparing you for something different.

God Never Changes, Even Though Our Seasons Do

One of the greatest comforts in life is knowing that while seasons constantly change, God never does.

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”
— Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)

The weather changes.

People change.

Circumstances change.

Health changes.

Finances change.

Relationships change.

But the Lord remains constant and the same.

He is the Rock that never moves while every season passes around us.

Don’t Fight the Season God Has You In

One of the greatest mistakes believers make is wishing they were living in another season.

We long for harvest while ignoring planting.

We desire promotion while resisting preparation.

We pray for fruit while refusing pruning.

Every season has purpose.

Ecclesiastes reminds us,

“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.”
— Ecclesiastes 3:11 (KJV)

Notice that it says in His time, not ours.

God’s timing is always perfect. God is never late, and he is never early, God is always works in His perfect time to make all things beautiful.

The Greatest Seasonal Change

The greatest season any person will ever experience is moving from spiritual death into eternal life through Jesus Christ.

The Bible says,

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

This is the beginning of an entirely new life.

A new heart.

A new purpose.

A new identity.

A new eternal destination.

No earthly season compares to the transformation that occurs when someone places their faith in Christ.

Final Thoughts

Every sunrise reminds us that darkness does not last forever. Every spring reminds us that winter is temporary. Every harvest reminds us that faithful labor is never wasted. Every falling leaf reminds us that sometimes we must release what is behind us so God can prepare us for what lies ahead.

If you sense the atmosphere of your life changing, do not be afraid. The God who orders the seasons of the earth also orders the seasons of your soul. He knows exactly when to open a door, when to close one, when to prune, when to plant, when to strengthen, and when to bless.

Jesus said that God the Father is the husbandman, meaning the gardener. God’s garden is our life and soul he is tending his garden (all of us), to produce more fruit in all his children.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.”
— John 15:1 (KJV)

Trust Him in every season. Whether you are rejoicing in the warmth of summer, enduring the cold silence of winter, letting go in autumn, or stepping into the fresh hope of spring, remember that your life is safely held in the hands of the One who declared from the beginning:

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

The same God who changes the seasons is faithfully working all things together for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). Stay rooted in Christ, remain sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and embrace each new season with confidence. The Lord never wastes a season, and neither should we. Every chapter of life has been appointed with divine purpose, and every season is another opportunity to grow in faith, reflect His glory, and prepare for the eternal kingdom where the seasons of sorrow will finally give way to everlasting joy for those who put their trust and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ!