Daniel 2:21: “He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.”
“Fall Colors”
I love the Fall; the smell, the bite to the morning air, the amazing colors. It’s as if God reaches out, grabs His favorite color palette and shouts out to us in vivid colors we can never quite duplicate: “Look, here I Am!” Can you think of any other reason that Fall would be such a beautiful time of year? I think that one reason God gave us eyes to see the beauty is so we would look for the Artist! We read in Psalm 19:1-4a: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” While he speaks here specifically of God’s demonstrated glory in Creation visible to us in the heavens, I think we see it too in the colors of Fall! But while we tend to focus mainly on the beauty, there is a somber message there for us to learn as well. Fall speaks of the certainty of death. While initially displayed in glorious color, the reality is that we are watching the death-throes of the leaf. In a very short time the brilliant colors fade, and the leaf falls lifeless to the ground. Scripture tells us that is true of every living thing, but especially of man. Job says, in Job 14:1-2: “Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure.” We read in Hebrews 9:27: “…man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” While we should enjoy the beauty of Fall and praise the Lord for His handiwork, we should also use it as a reminder that life is short, and that we too one day will die, and after that face judgment. The question is, are you ready? Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?” It is the most important question of all!