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A Time to Trust



“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven;”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

“There is an appointed time for everything.  And there is a time for every event under heaven-“
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NASB)

“He has made everything appropriate in its time.  He has also set eternity in their heart…”
Ecclesiastes 3:11a,b (NASB)

     How is your heart today? What have you been going through?  Have you been facing some challenges?  Are you in a situation that doesn’t seem to be getting better?  Does it feel like things will never change? Do you feel like you are alone and God has forgotten you?  Maybe things are going good but you fear that disaster is waiting around the corner.  Hold on to your faith for this is not a time to fear or despair but a time to trust.

A Time to TrustBiblical Exposition

     In the above verses, we read that there is an appointed time or season for everything.  It is from the Hebrew word that indicates that everything has a time period.   In other words, nothing that we experience on this earth lasts forever whether desirable or undesirable.

     Also, it is all for a designated period of time which is only known by God who Himself exists outside of time.  Though God exists outside of time, He established “time” for us when he set the sun and moon in place.  Time, therefore, is a created entity.  

     In the passing of time, we experience seasons.  In  much of the Northern Hemisphere, we experience four seasons – winter, spring, summer and fall.  Each season has a purpose and a specific duration.  They each also have benefits and challenges.  We may have one season that we like more than others but no matter how we feel about any season, the one thing we can count on is that it will pass.  Cold winters will turn into spring.  Rainy springs will turn into summers.  Hot summers will turn into mild, cool falls which will once again turn into cold winters and so the cycle continues.  Whether we enjoy the season or endure it, we know that it is only temporary.

     As we see in Ecclesiastes 3:11a, everything is “appropriate in its time”.  In the King James Version (KJV), it reads, “He made everything beautiful for its time.”

     In the winter, everything looks dead but it isn’t.  It’s just dormant.  There is a difference between something that is dormant and something that is dead.  The former has life in it and the latter doesn’t.  Once the winter is over, the former will bloom but the latter will not.  It is appropriate for many trees and plants to look dead in winter.  Just as it is appropriate for everything to bloom in the spring and for the leaves to begins to turn colors and drop off in the fall.  We manage to find beauty in all of it.   It is the hope of spring that helps many endure the winter.  There are those who embrace and enjoy the winter by engaging in outdoor activities to make it fun (ie. skiing, ice skating, etc.).

Application

     Just as there are seasons in nature, there are seasons in our life events.  When Ecclessiates 3:1 said “There is an appointed time for everything,” it is speaking of the events of our lives.  This is clearly seen in the verses that follow.  Everything has a time table or a season. 

     No matter what we may be experiencing one thing we can be assured of is that it will pass.  This doesn’t mean we “hold our breath” in one season and enjoy another.  Every season of life has a purpose, since God has made “everything appropriate in its time.”

     In addition, verse 11b states that He has placed “eternity in our hearts.”  He placed eternity in our hearts so that in all we may go through, we can always be assured that there is a higher purpose – a reason beyond our understanding.  This sense of a higher purpose and better days to come is placed in all human beings – saved and unsaved.  This is seen lyrics such as “The sun will come out tomorrow” and sayings like “Behind every cloud there is a silver lining.”

     This sense of hope keeps the human race perpetuating.  It helps us to endure the difficult times and enjoy the pleasant times.  This should be especially true of believers.  Ephesians 5:16 admonishes us to make the most of our time “for the days are evil.”

     Paul said he has learned how to embrace every season of life successfully through Christ who strengthens him (Philippians 4:11-13).   He understood that situations may change, and  people may change but God never changes.  Jesus is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” ( Hebrews 13:8) Whatever season we encounter – barren places or fertile fields, He is always with us loving us and holding on to us (Romans 8:35-39).

Examples

     Jesus, Moses, Paul, Elijah, and John the Baptist all encountered wilderness places.  It was a time of testing for some, training for others and for Moses a time of healing, humbling and refreshing.  For each, it was a time to be pulled aside but only for an appointed time.  Regardless of how it felt, God was with them.  They remained in that place until God’s purposes of that season were fulfilled. 

     There was a time in my life when I experienced a very dark season.  I could not see my way out of it.  I cried out to God and said that I could not see the “light at the end of the tunnel.”  All I could see was the darkness of the tunnel.  God spoke to me and directed my attention to Himself.  He had me fix my eyes/attention on Him for the duration of the journey.  He said that when I would get to the end of the “tunnel” then He would step aside to allow me to see “the light.”

     Jesus was my light and my guide through that dark season.  I held on to Him through worship and by clinging to His promises in the Scriptures.  As the three men in the furnace in Daniel 3:26,27,  I came out not even “smelling like smoke.”  I also emerged stronger, humbler, and closer to my Lord.  God is faithful and He is there for us in every season.

Conclusion

     We must embrace each season knowing that it is temporary and there is a higher purpose. We must make the most of it by keeping Christ in the center as we  rejoice always (Philippians 4:1) and in everything give thanks (2 Thessalonians 5:18).

      As we go through our seasons, there are a few things we must be careful to avoid.  First, be careful not to envy or judge another person’s season for that will cause you to miss what God has for you in your season. Instead, “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15)  

     Second, keep God the center of every season.  Don’t curse Him in the difficult times and don’t forget Him in the good times.  Thirdly, be careful not to be fearful of trouble while in the good times.  Embrace the season.  Be thankful, bless His name and enjoy it.  Be a blessing. 

     God remains God in all seasons and “His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations.” (Psalms 100:5)  The seasons of life are not designed to harm us but to help us grow closer to God that we may be made into His likeness.  A difficult season is not a time to fear or despair but it is a time to trust the One who sees the end from the beginning – the Lord our God.

     As we prepare to pray, I would like to share some lyrics of an old hymn and a contemporary worship song that speaks of the confidence we can have in all seasons.

My Hope is Built

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.  His oath, His covenant, His blood support me in the whelming flood; when all around my soul gives way, He then is all my hope and stay.  On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand.”

Edward Mote & William Bradbury

Desert Song

“This is my prayer in the desert, when all that’s within me feels dry.  This is my prayer in my hunger and need.  My God is the God who provides. And I will bring praise.  I will bring praise. No weapon formed against me shall remain.  I will rejoice. I will declare God is my victory and He is here.  All of my life in every season, You are still God.  I have a reason to sing.  I have a reason to worship.  This is my prayer in the harvest, when favor and providence flow.  I know I’m filled to be emptied again.  The seed I’ve received I will sow.”

Hillsong

Prayer

Dear Lord God, please forgive me for my fear and unbelief.  Thank you for being faithful to me even when I was faithless (2Timothy 2:13).  In the midst of this season, I turn my attention from my circumstances to You.  I fix my gaze on Your beauty and set my heart to trust and rejoice in You.  Thank You for loving me and guiding me through this time.  I love You.  Help me to love You more.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Copyright © 2008-2015 Shermaine Jones


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