It’s interesting to me that the Lord’s calling on us changes with times and seasons.  He stays the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), but he leads us through different seasons in our lives.

I like to look at the life of King David to show different times and seasons.  There was a time in his life where he was nothing more than a son and a shepherd out watching the flock.  That was God’s calling on his life in that time and season.  Then he became an attendant to King Saul, then a warrior, then a renegade running for his life and a leader for “all who were distressed or indebted or discontented” (1 Samuel 22:2), then a king.

God gives us callings for times and seasons.  He also gives us words to live by in those seasons – a passage of scripture, words to encourage or to warn, sound council from a friend.  We’re blessed when we follow what He’s telling us in any given season.

It’s not uncommon for me to find a theme or verse or words that define, warn, or encourage about a specific trail or trip into the wilderness.  In the past, they’ve been things like, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1).  Or songs like, “There’s a higher place to go – Beyond belief”* or “If you’re thinking you’d better / Write Your people a love letter / Let me be the pencil in Your hand.”** or, “Let mercy lead / Let love be the strength in your legs / And in every footprint that you leave / They’ll be a drop of grace.”***  One trip to the beach felt distinctly like a line in the sand: like we were shifting seasons, and oh, was that true!

I remember a trail in Mesa Verde National Park in the early 2000s.  We were facing some serious spiritual shenanigans on that trip, but God was with us and we were overcoming.  Still the word for the trip was, “Keep your eyes open and watch out.”

We stood on a slab of slickrock overlooking one of the ruins in Mesa Verde when my dad asked us to all come over so he could take a group picture of us with his very nice 35mm camera.  I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to pay attention to that word to watch out, but I was tired and hungry and I ignored that nudge.  I took one step, found the slab was uneven, and instantly sprained my foot on the uneven surface of the rock.

In that picture (which I haven’t yet digitized), I’m grimacing more than grinning.  That sprained foot was not comfortable.  I managed to hobble back to the parking area, and I prayed fervently for healing.  All while repenting for not listening to the Word of the Lord.

We drove for the next day or so to our next hike, and by the grace of God, I was able to keep hiking, mostly without pain (it would start out stiff in the morning and quickly stretch so it didn’t hurt).  To me, that was a Miracle.  But for months afterward, it would start out stiff from time to time in the morning.

It’s so vital to listen to the Word of the Lord in the season you’re in.  Whether it’s as simple as “watch out!” or “never forget I love you” or “so do not give up your confidence; it will be richly rewarded” (Hebrews 10:35) or something much more detailed, it’s to our advantage to remember and harken to that word from God for this specific season of our lives.

*“Beyond Belief” by Petra

**“Pencil in Your Hand” by Ceili Rain

***“Let Mercy Lead” by Rich Mullins