How to Pray Through a Season
3 principles, 4 lessons and prayer points to help you build a closer relationship with God, even in tough times.
Winter has begun in many parts of the world and for Western countries, Christmas is nearly here. The nature of the season is festive and the feeling is reflective (you can tell by the type of sermons vibrating through church halls and permeating social media.
I’d like to speak to this through prayers. How do we pray through the seasons of life?1
3 principles to help you reframe your relationship with God through the seasons
Seasons are providential
Seasons are purposeful
Seasons are passing
4 lessons to help you build a closer relationship with God through prayers
Embrace
Seek
Esteem
Testify
Why should we approach the seasons of life through prayers? Many of us easily accept divine purpose when things are going well but struggle to understand God's will when things don’t go our way. We aren’t constant in connecting with God during life's ups and downs.
But once you develop a mindset (principles) that yearns to connect with God at all times, you can employ these aspects of prayer (lessons) for a deeper level of peace, resilience, and spiritual growth.
The Three Principles of Seasonal Prayers
“He [God] changes times and seasons…” - Daniel 2:21
Seasons are providential
The first principle we must know about praying through seasons is that seasons are providential.
We cannot truly acknowledge how God gives us everything without knowing that He has set everything in time and season.
As the Psalmist (Psalm 74:16) says, God has “fixed all the boundaries of the earth; [He has] made summer and winter.”
Job and Joseph had different experiences, and the context does determine when we refer to their relationships with God but there’s a common thread about them.
Their stories illustrate God's divine providence and His sovereignty over all experiences of our lives. They both began with favor, endured suffering, and received great rewards. Joseph was favored by his father but a family feud saw him sold into slavery, subsequently, he was falsely accused and imprisoned. Eventually, God elevated him to a position of power in Egypt.
Job had all he needed and did all could to be right with God but the devil tried him with great loss and pain but he would not give up on God. God blessed Job abundantly, restoring his losses and giving him a new family.
It is God who makes the seasons.
If we thank God for every season in our lives, we show that we know He created all seasons.
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.” - Genesis 8:22
Seasons are purposeful
The second principle to praying through seasons is to know that the seasons have their purpose too, just as day and night are different.
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” - Isaiah 55:10-11
God established the seasons by His Word and they took shape as He said it. But He did that for a purpose. The Psalmist (Psalm 104:19) puts it this way, “He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down."
Perhaps, farmers know the seasons best. For,
In winter (December - February), they rest and prepare their machinery
In spring (March - June), they start planting
In summer (July - September), they monitor the fields and expect growth
In autumn (December - February) they harvest
But most Christians don’t have a problem with this schedule for plants. The challenge lies in accepting that God has a purpose for the darkest times in our lives even when we don’t see how His purpose materializes into a benefit for us. The reason is that suffering makes us concentrate only on the present, makes us powerless, and challenges our beliefs. All of which prevent us from seeing the bigger picture of God’s plan.
“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted…”
Even at such times, we must ask God to help us draw closer to Him and see us through to the next season.
“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ,
after you have suffered a little while,
will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10
Seasons are passing
The last principle of praying through seasons is that seasons are passing. And we have a pretty relaxed way of expressing this, we say that time flies.
When things are going smoothly, we want to pause our time so we can enjoy the moment. But when life presents difficulties, we fear that our hardship is permanent and want time to move quickly.
But knowing that seasons are temporary can bring hope and blessing. What you're experiencing now won't last forever.
The word season is from the Latin, serere which means to sow. The earliest usage showed that the intention was temporary, befitting of a specific time or activity.
Therefore every season is by nature transient. Don’t rush your seasons, your seasons will pass at their set time. It is never permanent but as King Solomon puts it,
“He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time.”
What can you make out of these?
Embrace the season
The very first step to building a stronger relationship with God in every season is to acknowledge that each is a unique season. Just as farmers rest from their labors every December, you too should get some rest. Ending the year intentionally allows you to appreciate the lessons learned and prepare for what's ahead.
Take a few minutes each day in December to think about what you’ve learned and how you've grown over the past year. Consider what you want to carry with you into the new year and what you'd like to leave behind.
But if this isn’t your season for rest, know that there are three other meanings. Perhaps, this is your season of beginning, growth, or harvest.
As the seasons change, so does our disposition. By acknowledging our emotions and surrendering them to Him, we open ourselves to His comfort and guidance. Prayer is our lifeline, we can talk to God, express our feelings honestly, and receive His peace. This is how we will build a stronger trust in His sovereignty and timing.
Prayer Point:
“Lord, help me to embrace this season, whatever it may bring. Give me the grace to accept Your will and find peace in Your presence.”
Seek God’s plan for the season
The next step to building a stronger relationship with God in every season is to seek God's guidance in understanding the lessons He intends to teach you and inquire about His plan for the season.
By asking insightful questions and actively listening for His answers, we gain a clearer understanding of His purpose for our lives. The Bible is a rich view of the heart of God. The more we study it the greater our knowledge of his ways, love, and grace. Prayer and Bible study strengthen our faith and our relationship with Him.
Prayer Point:
“Lord, open my eyes to the lessons You want to teach me through this season. Grant me wisdom to understand Your will and the courage to apply it to my life.”
Esteem your seasons
This is where many of us fail. We value certain periods over others, perhaps because of the victories, breakthroughs, and accomplishments we get.
But esteeming our seasons, even the difficult ones, enables us to see God’s hand at work in our lives. You can’t have a constant relationship with God if you think that you shouldn’t at certain times and once you feel that you shouldn’t hold on to God, you deny Him the honor of controlling your life. The nature of our relationship with God is that He is in charge, not us. His is to lead, ours is to surrender.
By recognizing His sovereignty and trusting in His plan, we can cultivate a spirit of gratitude and hope. We can thank and praise Him, no matter what we may be facing. As we learn to esteem God’s purpose, we develop a greater sense of peace and contentment.
Prayer Point:
“Lord, help me to see Your hand in every season of my life. Grant me a heart of gratitude, even during trials.”
Testify in every season
How do you feel when all a person does to you is complain about their difficulties? Surely, that isn’t as impacting as the testimony of someone who may be going through similar difficulties. Marianne Williamson is famous for saying,
“Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Testifying about God’s faithfulness through our seasons allows us to share His love with others. The reason this is hard to do in difficult times is, again, because hardship makes us short-sighted and forgetful. We must ask God to help us remember all that He’s done for us and be hopeful about all that He will do.
But by sharing our stories of hope and redemption, we inspire others to trust in God’s faithfulness. Sometimes, prayer becomes a means of intercession, as we pray for others who may be struggling. Testifying to God’s faithfulness strengthens our faith and deepens our connection with Him.
Prayer Point:
“Lord, give me boldness to share Your love with others. May my life be a living testimony to Your grace and mercy.”
As always, thanks for reading.
Everything good will come.
Thanks to Gary Khan for the article that inspired this publication. https://openbiblemessage.org/2023/07/what-season-are-you-in/