Most Christians in this generation know how to live in God's seasons, but don’t know how to survive God's off-seasons. In God's off-seasons, they become depressed, complain, murmur, question God, and even backslide. God's off-seasons are seasons where God is silent(towards our prayer requests) and does not perform any miracles. It can be a season of wilderness, correction, or preparation. It’s like 7-8 years where David was running from Saul. It's like three years of famine during Elijah's time. It is a time when God has withheld His miracles. Most Christians are unaware that there is such a season as God's offseason, and that if they are in God’s offseason, how they should pray and live in that season.
All saints in the Bible went through God's off seasons. The saints experienced many years of God's off-seasons and a few years of God's seasons. David before becoming a king, after killing Goliath went through 2-3 good years under Saul and then 7-8 years running from Saul. The Christian life has many years of God's off seasons and few years of God's seasons. Only if we survive God's off seasons will we be able to enter His seasons.
Abraham, David, Moses, and many other saints survived God's off-seasons because God spoke to them on a regular basis. If God is not speaking to you in God’s off-seasons, we may enter depression or even backslide. Every Christian has to go through God’s off-seasons, but only those who survive will enter God’s seasons.
Sadly in this generation, people do not know how to survive God's off seasons, and preachers do not talk or discuss about these seasons. Knowing God as a God who blesses is not sufficient to survive God's off-seasons. A complete knowledge of God is required to survive God's off-seasons. Knowing and experiencing God as faithful, trustworthy, dependable, and merciful, as well as hearing his voice, is necessary for survival during God's off seasons. Knowing what God can do is not sufficient; knowing who God IS completely- is needed.
Prosperity Gospel or blessing-related messages will not help; they may even make you depressed. What is the point of asking for rain when God has already declared a three-year or season of famine in Elijah's time? We must discern whether it is God's season or off-season, and pray and live accordingly.
Pray in accordance with God's seasons. If it’s God’s offseason, seek and know God more and remind Him to fulfil his promises.
If you're going through a difficult times, find out whether it's God's season or the offseason. If it's God's off-season, don't be disappointed or frustrated that your miracle is taking time; instead, spend time to know and seek God. God's offseason is for a time, after which you will enter God's seasons. Maybe it's been a long wait, God is faithful enough to bring you into His seasons. Trust Him in His timing and seasons. Knowing the season will save you a lot of time and prevent you from making unnecessary mistakes. It will save you from making a lot of unnecessary prayers (not aligned to the season) and things. Do not be like Obadiah, searching for grass and water during a famine season when all brooks have dried up(1 Kings 18:5). Many people pray the same prayer in all seasons. We need to change our prayers according to the season.
