Winter trees

Winter trees. In crisp air at dawn. Stark. Branches bare. Empty.

The fog drifts in.

As I walk in fading darkness, I think about friends and family members who are suffering.

Standing weary. In the fog of impossible circumstances. Living with ongoing crisis. Conflict. Some with never-ending pain. 

Cold and unrelenting winds whip through the lives of these loved ones.

And I ask how to pray. 

What is His way for trees in winter?

Abide in Christ

His way doesn’t change with the seasons. Or the unexpected detours. Crises. His way anchors.

It’s the way of abiding in Christ. Through prayer and the Word. In fellowship with His Body.

The way of abiding reminds us. We are in Christ. He is in us. We can do nothing without Him. 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me.”
John 15:5

Hold on

So I pray for my brothers and sisters as we walk in this often wintry world. To read and meditate on His truth in the midst of ice and snow. We are sustained and instructed by the Word of God.

I pray for daily reminders to be filled with His Spirit. We are dependent on Him.

May we all breathe prayer continually. Into the frozen air. Into the dark. Praising. Confessing. Asking. Interceding.

And let’s hold on to the confession of our hope. Together. Encouraging one another in the faith. Making disciples here and to the ends of the earth. 

Even in winter.

Worship

The sun rises. 

I stop on the path. Shivering in the cold. Watching with awe. 

Light flows into the landscape more quickly now than at summer’s dawn. Brightness streams unhindered by leafy forests.

And the winter trees stand tall. Sharply defined silhouettes against deep reds and pinks, then the sun’s blinding radiance. 

Brilliance coming through empty branches. Branches raised in simple, quiet worship.

His mercies

And I worship. Thanking God His mercies are new. Every morning.

Birds fly in. Perch high in the bare treetops.

Listen. They’re singing.

“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction;
be persistent in prayer.”
Romans 12:12

What about you?

How has the Lord helped you during winter seasons? How has He reminded you He sees you and He is with you?

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