Bees in Winter

Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. — Lamentations 3:22-23 By the time snow began to fall in November last year, our honeybees had been preparing for months for the transition to winter weather. With fading daylight hours and falling temperatures where we live in Michigan, the bees had begun storing up honey and pollen in late summer and “bee bread” (a mix of nectar, honey, and enzymes) in early autumn. When the temperature outdoors dropped to about 55°F (12-13°C), hardier bees in the hive started taking over feeding and warming the queen to keep her alive during the cold, dark days of winter.The prophetic poetry of Lamentations is cold and darkening. God’s people at that time had been steadily approaching the brutal chill of being conquered and exiled. The armies of the cruel, cold-blooded Babylonian Empire were coming.For God’s people whose hearts had grown cold, no reprieve was predicted. The chilling consequences of disobedience and wickedness were approaching as certainly as a bitterly cold, dark winter.Today’s verses appear right in the midst of Jeremiah’s laments on the destruction, devastation, and mass deportation of God’s people during the invasion by Babylon. Like a ray of warm sunshine, these verses assure us that “the LORD’s great love,” compassions, and faithfulness are available to us each day. Let’s remember this in whatever cold and dark times we find ourselves in.  “Great is your faithfulness, O God [our] Father.” In all the seasons of life you have been here with and for us. Help us to trust in you. Amen.