I Have Been With You in All Seasons

Last week, before serving in the temple, I found myself sitting quietly with my scriptures open in the celestial room. My heart felt heavy. If I’m honest, I had brought a lot with me that day.

Questions.

Worries.

Prayers that have been sitting unanswered for what feels like a very long time.

As I prayed, I opened my scriptures and the pages feel open to a simple phrase in Acts 20:18:

“I have been with you at all seasons.”

I couldn’t stop thinking about those words.

All seasons.

Not just the good ones.

Not just the seasons when prayers are answered quickly.

Not just the seasons when life feels easy, relationships are thriving, and faith comes naturally.

All seasons.

The season of waiting.

The season of loss.

The season of disappointment.

The season of loneliness.

The season when you wonder if anyone sees how hard you’re trying.

The season when you’re doing everything you know to do and still can’t seem to find the breakthrough you’re hoping for.

God didn’t say, “I will be with you when everything works out.”

He said He has been with us in all seasons.

Looking back on my own life, I can see seasons I never would have chosen.

The season of losing my father and then my mother.

The season of sitting in doctors’ offices hearing frightening news about my health.

The season of heartbreak and unanswered prayers in my marriage.

The season of watching people I love make choices I wish they wouldn’t make.

The season of wondering what God was doing when nothing seemed to be changing.

At the time, many of those seasons felt lonely.

But when I look back now, I can see fingerprints of God everywhere.

Not always removing the trial.

Not always fixing the situation.

But staying.

Strengthening.

Comforting.

Guiding.

Walking beside me one small step at a time.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest lessons of discipleship.

God’s presence is not measured by how easy our circumstances become.

His presence is often found in His willingness to stay with us while we walk through them.

I think many of us are carrying burdens right now that no one else can see.

Maybe you’re worried about a child.

Maybe you’re grieving a loss.

Maybe your marriage isn’t what you hoped it would be.

Maybe you’re exhausted from carrying responsibilities that feel too heavy.

Maybe you’re waiting for an answer that hasn’t come.

If that’s you, I want to remind you of something I am learning too:

The absence of change does not mean the absence of God.

Sometimes He is doing His deepest work in the waiting.

Sometimes He is strengthening roots before growing fruit.

Sometimes He is teaching us to recognize His presence before He changes our circumstances.

One of my favorite promises from scripture is found in Isaiah:

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee.”

Notice He didn’t say if.

He said when.

The promise was never that we would avoid difficult seasons.

The promise was that we would never walk through them alone.

And maybe that is enough for today.

Not having every answer.

Not seeing the entire path.

Not knowing exactly how things will work out.

But trusting that the God who has been with us in every previous season is still with us now.

The same God who carried you then is carrying you today.

The same God who comforted you before is comforting you now.

The same God who never left you in your darkest moments has not left you in this one.

Whatever season you find yourself in today, take heart.

He has been with you in all seasons.

And He will be with you in this one too.