Thank the Lord for winter

I'm reading a cracking book at the moment: Grace People by Michael Baughen. In it he traces God's covenants from Genesis right through Scripture. So I've recently been thinking about the 'Creation covenant' in Genesis 8 v 22:

'As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.'

I've always loved the seasons, because they're such a physical reminder of God's faithfulness. They also mean that Harvest and Christmas and Easter keep coming round again, like old friends, with all the fantastic opportunities they provide to thank God and tell others about Him.

But it suddenly occurred to me this week that God's creation covenant means I should also be thankful for the nights getting longer, evenings darker and clocks soon to change. This is a tricky time of year for me, especially since my depression is back in deep measure (which is why this is my first blog for two months). As winter comes, I and many other depressives fear that our minds will grow darker too. But the coming darkness can be a reminder as well - that God is keeping His promise to all creation. Until that wonderful day when Jesus returns, 'summer and winter, day and night will never cease'. How good to be reminded of the faithfulness of our God!