41. Treasure Hunt

So, now that you know a bit more about spiritual seasons, let me ask you this: Do you know what season you’re in right now? Do you know what your heavenly Father is doing in your life at this time?

If you’re still not sure, ask Him. You might not get a quick answer but don’t worry, that’s not a problem, in fact it’s part of the process. Father loves it when we ‘press into Him’ for the next piece of the puzzle, talking with Him as we journey. Our walk with Him is full of mystery, and one of the best ways I have heard this concept described is using the analogy of an Easter egg hunt.

At Easter time, parents will often hide Easter eggs for their children around the house or garden, for their children to find. The thrill of the hunt is what it’s all about; searching and seeking, following clues, listening to their parents guiding them by saying “You’re getting warmer, warmer, no, colder, colder, getting warmer again, warmer, warmer, HOT…!”

Can you imagine if the children woke up on Easter Day and were just presented with a basket or bag of Easter eggs by their parents? Sure, it would be a quick way to get some chocolate, but there’s no fun or excitement in that. The parents hide the Easter eggs not to punish or tease their children, or to make sure they don’t find them; they hide them to give their children the thrill of a game of treasure hunting. They hide the eggs FOR them to find, they don’t hide them FROM their children.

In a similar way, Father God hides treasure FOR us to find, He doesn’t hide it FROM us. He wants us to find the treasure, and He wants to find it with us, to do it together, to tell us, ‘You’re getting warmer, keep going…’, to enjoy the thrill of treasure hunting together.

So go on the treasure hunt with your Father!

Ask Him for clues about what He is doing, or what season you are in. Talk to Him about it, ask Holy Spirit to show you things you haven’t noticed before. Look at what is happening in your life and heart. We know what natural season it is by how we feel or what we see (if it’s winter, the answer would probably be ‘I feel cold’, and ‘I see frost on the ground, or bare trees).

The same principle can help us discover what spiritual season we are in. Ask yourself how you feel. Contented? Restless? Isolated? Exhausted? Excited? Look, too, at what is happening in your life. Are you busy, with lots of new activities starting, is there lots of change happening, or are things in your life quiet and inactive? Those are all clues that will help you discover your season, clues that you can ask Holy Spirit about. What do you have a ‘pull’ towards? Do you seem to just want to soak in His presence during your quiet times, or do keep getting thoughts or ideas about studying a certain topic in scripture? Do you keep thinking about a certain person? Maybe Holy Spirit is leading you to get to know them more, or maybe He’s calling you into a place of prayer for them.

Prophetic words can also be like the clues in a treasure hunt. The clue is only the beginning of the hunt, and then you get to seek and search and ask questions. It’s also really helpful to write down any prophetic words that you have been given, or anything that God says to you directly or through your Bible readings, and keep a journal of these. When you can refer back to them a pattern will often emerge, or you will see things you never saw before.

A lot of people have a very fatalistic view of prophetic words, a sort of, “If this is God then He will do it” sort of viewpoint. But although God can and does move sovereignly at times, I have found that to be the exception and not the norm. Revelation is progressive. It evolves and grows over time, so keep asking for ‘clues’, keep drawing closer to God, and He will show you where the ‘treasure’ is.

If you’re finding it hard to pinpoint what season you’re in, talk it through with a trusted friend or leader, and ask them that they see. It’s often a lot easier for people to look from the outside, because their perspective is more objective, so they will often be able to see things that you can’t see.

Did you know that there is a reward for every spiritual season? There is! Even for the hard, wilderness type seasons! It’s the same with the meteorological seasons, they all have rewards that we can claim and enjoy. For me, springtime rewards are the incredible beauty of flowers, walks through bluebell woods, lambs being born, the exquisite bird songs and the sense of ‘newness’ and freshness that spring brings with it.

The rewards of summer are the warmth of the sun, fantastic BBQs (or braais, if you’re from southern Africa!) long days, and being able to put washing out to dry on the line (I know, that’s not quite so exciting, but I do love being able to hang washing out to dry – it’s a mum thing!)

Autumn brings an exquisite array of different coloured and shaped leaves, as well as beautiful sunsets and steaming mugs of hot chocolate. Winter’s rewards for me are the beauty of snow gently falling, precious time with the family during Christmas, chubby little robins, and the promise of a New Year.

In a similar way, every spiritual season has its rewards, and when we understand the season we are in, we can unlock the reward, and with it, fruitfulness in that season. For instance, if you know you are in a season of waiting, watering or weeding, you might have more time to read and study the Bible, and the reward of that might be a marked increase in the depth of revelation that Holy Spirit is showing you through His Word. Or you might have more time to spend with family, leading to closer relationships and precious memories made.

So, as we bring this blog theme to a close, I want to mention the fact that, once you have been through a specific season, you then have the joy of being able to help others who are in that place. For instance, I never even knew there was such a thing as a ‘hiddenness’ season until I experienced one. However, after I had been through it and come out the other side, it was amazing how many people I came across who seemed to be going through a similar experience. Of course, everyone’s seasons look different because we are all individuals and have unique walks with God but, for the most part, the principles remain the same. I found I could relate to them, empathise with them, and help them through it, purely because I had come through that particular season myself. Having someone pray for you is always good, but having someone pray for you who has been through what you’re going through, and who understands the struggles you face, is even better.

Hopefully you can now answer the, ‘So, what’s with this seasons thing?’ question which I was asked at the conference! I encourage you to actively and intentionally co-operate with Father on this journey.

Embrace the season you’re in!

Put your warm clothes on if it’s winter, and put your T shirt and shorts on if its summer!

Seek to understand the times, and ask God what you need to do.

Yield to God, plough the soil of your heart, plant seeds, water, weed and wait with patience, and you will reap a harvest.

Ask Father what the rewards are for the season you are in, and go after them!

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Until next time ….

Ask Holy Spirit what the reward is for this season in your life.

In this season, what changes do you need to make?

Do you need to let go of old routines or relationships?

Do you need to learn any new skills or start any new ventures?