Do not be afraid, you wild animals, for the pastures in the wilderness are becoming green. (Joel 2:22)
On a cold winter day, I pulled into the garage and pushed the button for the door to close. It started down and then opened again. I assumed I had accidentally hit the garage door opener button twice; unbeknownst to me, something had triggered the safety sensor. A few hours later, when my husband and I were loading some boxes into the car, we heard a strange sound—a frightened mewing. The feral cat who lived in the woods across the road had run into the garage, hoping to find scraps of food from our trash can. We opened the door, and it darted back out.
Winter is hard for animals who call the country home and humans their enemies. But after winter comes spring and summer.
In Joel 2:22, God recognized the ramifications of the locust plague and drought on the wild animals. He saw their needs and said they were not to be afraid; he would provide for them. Matthew 10:29–31 says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. . . . Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
God promised that, following his people’s “winter of unrepentance,” if they turned back to him, he would bring a new season of plenty. He offers us the same.
Thank God for his promise of provision when we turn to him.
Beth Gormong is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and serves at Wesleyan Publishing House. She spends her free time at the library reading and writing books.
© 2022 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
