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 (Manna 82: Winter)
Manna 82 Editorial: Paradoxical Winter

Peter Shee—Singapore

Winter in Israel differs from the drab, depressing and frosty months in some places. After autumn seeding at the beginning of the rainy season, the showers increase into heavy winter rains, causing the crops to grow. The rain should continue into spring, when the latter rain matures the grain for harvest. However, weather in the holy land is as unpredictable as the hearts of the children of Israel, so when rainfall becomes sporadic or when there is no latter rain, many of the crops fail to ripen, resulting in a poor harvest. In biblical times, this was a reflection of God’s displeasure with His people (Jer 3:3)..

So on one hand, winter is the gateway to fruitfulness and vitality; on the other hand, it can be a time of trepidation. Hence, winter is a time of waiting—either in joyful expectation of renewal or with repentant prayer for restoration. In either case, it is a time of looking to God to fulfil His promises when spring arrives.

Theme article “The Winter Rains” reminds us of God’s faithfulness—He works out His eternal plan throughout human history out of His goodwill, despite human weakness, fickleness and faithlessness.

The Bible Study, “The Dwelling Place Where God has Chosen to Establish His Name (II),” continues to look at the church as the culmination of God’s dwelling with men. Time and again, God departs and returns to His disobedient people, to the land of His choice, to dwell in the tabernacle erected for His name. From the rejection of Eli and Shiloh to the choosing of David and Jerusalem, the Lord maps out His unchanging plan to establish for Himself a community in the Messiah, in whose midst He will permanently dwell. From the winter of rejection to the spring of restoration in the apostolic times—in today’s context, we witness the revival of the true church that conforms to the apostolic faith.

It is interesting to compare God’s departure and return with the story of departure and return of God’s people from the land of Israel in “Naomi’s Return.” The Bethlehem family’s encounter with famine, death, and eventual restoration ought to teach us to wait on God instead of losing hope in adversity. Christian understanding of suffering and our appropriate response to it are explored in “When Suffering Comes.” The article “Moses Returns to Egypt (I)” highlights the fact that we do not know our time and, much less, God’s time. It again brings to the fore the fact that we should wait on the Lord, for He makes all things beautiful in His time (Eccl 3:11).

Against the Tide” takes lessons from Noah, who stood against the surging waves of moral decline, and walked with God while waiting for the cleansing deluge. Moreover, this article cites examples of moral issues in the modern world and offers practical approaches to standing against them.

One interesting point in “Hard Hearts” is the call to thaw our hearts. If there is a commonality between the summer and winter, it must be the hardness of the parched ground and the frozen hearts that require thawing.

May this issue of Manna evoke in you an earnest expectation of renewal, and the prayer: “Lord to my heart bring back the springtime. Take away the cold and dark of sin!” [1]



[1] Kurt Kaiser, “Bring Back the Springtime”. Copyright: 1970 by Word Music (a division of Word, inc.).

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Author: Peter Shee
Publisher: True Jesus Church
Date: 04/06/2017
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