I just have to say a quick word in praise of God’s creation.

Autumn is my favorite season. No contest.

And if it isn’t yours, you obviously have not experienced this season in Maryland; the tree/leaves colors; crisp, sort of alive air; piercing rays of sunshine on mountaintops; apple-picking (and eating… with a good book); fresh homemade bread toasted with cheese; hoodies and long walks on the canal or through the woods (hiking!); hot soup and herbal teas; long runs by twinkling streams through sunlight-speckled paths with crunchy leaves underfoot; hammock naps with a soft, plushy blanket… and so much more.

There is something about this season that makes you want to slow down; to breathe.

It’s a season conducive to thoughtfulness and pensive reflection.

For some reason, autumn always reminds me of God’s faithfulness.

Joel 2:22-24 says, “Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.”

This is what I am oft-reminded of during these few short months of fall weather; the dependable, unchanging nature of the Creator. Although leaves turn from green to golds, burnt oranges, and copper; and crops are harvested, winter preparations made, and daylight becomes shortened (yes?) … yet the Creator, the Sustainer of life and the Maker of all things – he does not change. There is a beautiful song by Nicole Nordeman entitled “Seasons”, and in it she sings;

“And even when the trees have just surrendered to the harvest time; forfeiting their leaves in late September and sending us inside…still I notice You when change begins, and I am braced for colder winds; I will offer thanks for what has been, and what’s to come;
You are autumn.”

and the song ends with the following words:

“So it is with You, and how You make me new with every season’s change: and so it will be, as you are re-creating me; summer, autumn, winter, spring.”

Is. 25:1

“O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.”