Through Solstices and Equinoxes

READ: GENESIS 8:22; PSALM 46:1-7; 104:19; HEBREWS 13:5-8

Today is an equinox! On two different days every year, day and night are the same length. All around the world, the day lasts twelve hours and so does the night. We call those days equinoxes.

There are two different types of equinoxes: vernal and autumnal—one for spring and one for fall. But which one is which depends on what part of the world you’re in because the seasons are flipped in the northern and southern hemispheres of the world. So, because I’m writing from the northern hemisphere of the earth, today is the autumnal equinox for me, marking the beginning of the fall season.

Equinoxes are two days that we use to help us determine when the seasons change. But they’re only the tip of the iceberg. I haven’t even gotten into solstices, which are the two longest and shortest days of the year that usher in winter and summer. But, once again, which season each solstice brings in also depends on what part of the world you live in.

Complicated as they are, equinoxes and solstices remind me of Jesus’s faithfulness. God made the whole universe and knew about the seasons long before humans figured out how they worked. He made the seasons follow predictable patterns, so even though there’s change, there’s still order. And here’s the most amazing part: Jesus Himself doesn’t change, even though our seasons do.

That’s really good news. No matter what we face as Christians, no matter what changes we experience—good or bad—we can know that Jesus is with us and His presence and promises will never change. Simply put, Jesus has promised to be with His people through everything we face, and He also promises to work everything for His good purpose—to make all things new, free from sin and death (Matthew 28:20; Romans 8:28-29; Revelation 21:1-5).

No matter the season or circumstance, these promises will never be shaken. Regardless of the changes we see, we can know that Jesus’s love for us will never change. This hope will endure through every solstice and every equinox. • Aurora Scriver

• What part of the world do you live in? Which season is being ushered in where you live?

• Take a moment to reread today’s Bible passages. How can the truths in these verses bring us comfort and encourage us to come to Jesus with all our concerns when we face changes in the world and in our own lives?

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)