Tag: Ecclesiastes 3:1

The Hopeful, Hope-Filled Truth of the Timeless Verse “For Everything There Is a Season.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Ecclesiastes 3: Bible

A Time for Everything

3 There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, worlds without end, Amen, Amen.

“God allows us to experience both the high and low points of life in order to teach us lessons that we could learn in no other way.” – C.S. Lewis

Contemplating the greatest part of God’s great design to this earth: its seasons.

We experience wet and dry seasons, the typical four seasons of winter, spring, summer, and fall, and there are planting seasons and harvesting seasons.

We see creation moving through seasons each year, and we ourselves live through seasons, as well.

In these seasons we learn to depend on and come to anticipate, expect things.

So, too, we find in the Bible that our lives go through seasons.

Seasons of happiness and sadness, loss and joy, hope, newness, and growth.

Seasons of health and seasons when acute and chronic illness seems to prevail.

All of these life seasons are intentional and God’s influence in them should be acknowledged and counted on.

We find this often quoted verse in the book of Ecclesiastes, which is believed to have been written by Solomon, the son of King David.

When Scripture declares that for everything there is a season, this means that the various circumstances we go through in life are not by incident, but they are orchestrated or allowed by God with His great purpose and His intentionality.

What Does The Bible Mean ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?

Ecclesiastes 3 verse 1 affirms two important reminders.

  1. The things we go through in life are not in vain.
  2.  Our situations will not last forever.

If we are in a certain season of life, we can be confident the season will come to an end at some point.

This verse serves as a reminder that our circumstances will change and that is something we can come to reliably anticipate and expect in life.

Whatever God takes us through has a definitive purpose, perhaps that purpose is to deepen our faith or to help us to achieve a breakthrough in an area of life.

We will have our sorrows.

We will get over our sorrows.

We will enter the valley by some means.

We will get out of the valley by another means.

We will go through hardships.

And whatever season of life we find ourselves in, it will always have a beginning and it will always have an end.

We will always leave the old seasons behind.

We will always enter new seasons, too.

Ones that bring relief, hope, or a deeper sense of faith.

I believe it’s helpful to also read other translations of this verse to get a better idea of its meaning:

  • “Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses”. – Good News Translation
  • “Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven” – God’s Word
  • “There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth” – The Message
  • “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” – NIV
  • “There is a right time for everything, and everything on earth will happen at the right time.” Easy to Read Version
What Is the Verses’ Context: ‘For Everything There Is a Season’?

As you read the book of Ecclesiastes, you may get the impression that Solomon had somewhat of a grave, pessimistic outlook on life.

The book begins with Solomon’s declaration that everything is meaningless (see verse 1:1).

He had seen the ups and downs of life, yet could not quite make sense of life. 

Why was there so much suffering?

Where was God in the midst of life?

What is the meaning of the mundane days we live? 

In this book, Solomon reflected on his understanding of God and how that fits with what he knew and the life he was experiencing.

Perhaps you have found yourself wondering or reflecting like Solomon did.

In the third chapter, we find perhaps some clarity around the mysteries of life.

When nothing in life seems to make sense anymore, if we dare to look, to find God’s presence in life, that’s when real meaning and satisfaction will emerge.

Life without God is hopeless, but a life lived for God and in acknowledgement of his divine presence, sovereignty, is one marked by fruitfulness and significance.

In this third chapter, Solomon affirmed the seasons of joys and the seasons of hardships, the high and low seasons, the valleys of despair and peaks of honor.

This is the natural ebb and flow of life that we can anticipate, and when we keep God at the center, purpose will emerge and refining of our hearts will take place.

Why Is There always a Time for Bad Things?

The basic reality is that life always gets hard.

As we know, bad things happen even to those who follow Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Sinful nature has left nothing untouched, and this is why we await the second coming of Jesus.

But until then, we know that we will always enter tough seasons, go through tough seasons, leave tough seasons as much as we go through joyful seasons.

Even Jesus reminded us that we will always have troubles, but we can still have peace in him (see John 16:33).

The hope found in this Ecclesiastical passage is that these seasons of suffering, hate, and death will come to us but they will also come to an end. (Psalm 23)

God will bring us through to better days marked by comfort, love, and new life.

Through it all, we can rest in the peace Jesus has given us.

Regardless of what seasons we face, we can fully and completely trust that God always remains in absolute control and is the author of our days.

How Does God Make Everything Beautiful in Its Time?

Ecclesiastes 3:11 Amplified Bible

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

11 He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.

God is our Redeemer.

To redeem something means to offset its negative traits.

In a biblical sense, redemption means that Jesus’ work on the cross has covered our sin.

His sacrificial love has offset and delivered us from sinfulness, death, and guilt.

God’s redemptive work makes us beautiful and it makes all things beautiful.

This concept of redemption that we find in Scripture teaches us that God will redeem us from despair and work all things together for the good of those who love him (see Romans 8:28).

We find this promise written that God will make everything beautiful in its due season.

God will judge right from wrong and bring about justice (Ecclesiastes 3:16-17).

16 Moreover, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,” for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed.

God will make things right.

We may not always know how or when or where he will make things beautiful or when he will do that, but we can 100% count on it, pray for it to happen, and put all of our trust fully in God to redeem even the worst of our circumstances.

What to Learn from Ecclesiastes 3:1 about Change and Timing?

Solomon, author of Ecclesiastes, goes to great lengths to preach that we must put our trust in God’s sovereignty which means he is in control of all things.

God is always with us in the hardest battles.

He guides our steps from one season to the next.

He sees what is coming ahead for us and will provide what we need to get through.

No matter what seasons lay behind us or ahead of us, God is always present and always leading us through each – for the purpose of His glory.

The greatest hope we have in seasons of trouble or change is that God will never leave us nor forsake us (see: Hebrews 13:5).

5 Let your character [your moral essence, your inner nature] be free from the love of money [shun greed—be financially ethical], being content with what you have; for He has said, “I will never [under any circumstances] desert you [nor give you up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you helpless], nor will I forsake or let you down or relax My hold on you [assuredly not]!”

We may experience God’s timing as difficult, or late, or hard to understand, or different than what we’d expect or hope for.

But truly, over time, we will learn that all of God’s timing is perfect and always comes to pass in a way that will bring us goodness rather than hopelessness.

How Can We Learn to Apply “For Everything There is a Season” to Everyday Lives?

When we wake up, we can trust that whatever season we are in is not by accident, nor will God allow it to unfold without bringing out a grander purpose and drawing us closer to him.

Every season is purposeful in leading us into a deeper relationship with God and creating unshakeable faith.

We can hope that the Lord will give us seasons of joy, and know that he wants us to enjoy life (see Ecclesiastes 3:12-13).

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live; 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

We should savor the goodness of life and the ways God has gifted us with his favor.

Through fellowship, disciplined reading, studying, and praying, apply this verse to your life by trusting that God knows the seasons in your life in which you will relish and endure, and God will be with you every step of the way.

Therefore, we should lean into God regardless of the situation because he loves us and will journey with us each moment, each day, and each season.

Like Solomon, we can go through our seasons, and take the opportunity to pause to reflect on our lives and how we see God’s presence and direction.

God is the author of our time and the seasons we go through.

Though life does not always make sense, or may even feel insignificant at times, rather than getting lost in despair, we can find comfort and hope in God.

God brings us to new seasons, changes our circumstances, and adds fullness to our existence.

God alone creates and sustains and God alone will make all things beautiful in due season and God alone will cause all our lives to be abundant in meaning.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Psalm 16 The Message

16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God,
    I’ve run for dear life to you.
I say to God, “Be my Lord!”
    Without you, nothing makes sense.

3 And these God-chosen lives all around—
    what splendid friends they make!

4 Don’t just go shopping for a god.
    Gods are not for sale.
I swear I’ll never treat god-names
    like brand-names.

5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only.
    And now I find I’m your choice!
You set me up with a house and yard.
    And then you made me your heir!

7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake
    is confirmed by my sleeping heart.
Day and night I’ll stick with God;
    I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.

9-10 I’m happy from the inside out,
    and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed.
You canceled my ticket to hell—
    that’s not my destination!

11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path,
    all radiant from the shining of your face.
Ever since you took my hand,
    I’m on the right way.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning; is now and ever shall be, worlds without end, Amen, Amen.

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About Our Time Management skills with God. Our Timely Fellowship God

What Is Time Management?

Working Smarter to Enhance Productivity

Do you ever feel like there’s not enough time in the day?

Do you ever feel like there are not enough days on the calendar to get done what needs to be done – to accomplish what everyone expects must be accomplished? So much to do, too much for us to do and there is so precious little time to do it.

Time management is the process of our organizing and planning how to divide our time between different activities. Get it right, and we’ll end up working smarter, not harder, to get more done in less time – even when time is tight, pressures are high. The highest achievers manage their time exceptionally well.

The Benefits of Good Time Management

When you know how to manage your time effectively, you can unlock many benefits. These include:

  • Greater productivity and efficiency in your ministries.
  • Less stress in your relationship with God.
  • A better professional reputation and more glory for God.
  • Increased chances of Kingdom advancement.
  • More opportunities to achieve your life and career goals.

Overall, being “on the clock with God” you start feeling more in control, with the confidence to choose how best to use your time to edify our neighbors.

And by feeling happier, more relaxed, and better able to think, and better able to act for God, you are in a great place to help others reach their targets, too.

How well do we Manage our Time with God?

Start by assessing your existing approach, our existing relationship. How good are we at disciplining, organizing our time so that we get the important things done well? Can we balance our time between different activities? And when we do make time to do something, are we able to focus – and still get it finished?

Ecclesiastes 3:1 Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Mystery of Time

3 There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:

There is a Time for Everything under the sun– Time Management Tips for 21st Century Christian Leaders

Time management is always going to be an issue for everyone but especially those whose heart is to show God’s love to those in spiritual or practical need.

Imagine, as I am sure you can, outside your front door at this very moment is everyone who, in the last week, has sent you a text, an email, called you on the telephone, written you a letter, spoken to you about seeing them for a pastoral visit, invited you to a meeting and those you have chosen to spend time with….

How far around your neighborhood would that queue stretch and just how long would it take you to see them if you saw them one after the other, even without a break? How many times slots, appointments are being overbooked right now?

Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by the demands you and others place on your use of time? Upon your achieving a balance between accomplishing your worldly tasks so you can feed your family, pay the bills and so on and upon achieving those spiritual callings of God now upon your life in edifying God’s Kingdom?

Maybe the full weight of effectively and efficiently balancing all the issues you face in making the best use of your time are masked by the technology or the lack pf technology you use to manage your problem or perhaps you are working far too many hours in the day to cope with all these demands on your ministry?

A Time for Everything

The writer of Ecclesiastes 3 v1-6 communicates unto us that there is a time for everything under the sun, moon and stars, describing the endless ebb and flow of actions that sweep us up in an endless flurry of activity that leads to stress.

There is definitely a time for everything, but that does not mean we have to do everything immediately right NOW, as much as we or others might want us to do. Nor should we simply succumb to all the demands others place on our time.

Although we cannot manage time the same as God, as we are not in control of its passage, time management skills enable us to manage the way we and others use our own time. As a servant leader we all need to role model a healthy use of time for our own benefit and for those to whom we minister, for God’s glory.

Time Management Suggestions to balance and also manage our time with God better

1.  Review how you use your time.

Spend a week keeping a diary of your use of time, (including coffee breaks, telephone calls, travel time etc.) and with whom. Then review the diary, looking for recurring patterns and highlighting where you have not used your time as you would have liked and/or as effectively as you could.

For example, if you split your day into morning, afternoon and evening: do you regularly work all three sessions? Would it help or hinder you if for all or part of the week you only worked 2 of those sessions per day?

2.  Review your diary with a trusted friend

Discuss the various areas in and then agree to take steps to address a couple of the issues it highlights.

3. Prioritize your use of time.

Steven Covey in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” introduces a simple four box time management model to help us use our time effectively.

On one axis is “urgent” and “not urgent” and on the other what is “important” and “not important”. Our issue is often twofold: firstly, that we spend our time meeting the demands of others in what they see as being urgent and important. Secondly, that in failing to deal with the important but not urgent tasks, that the tasks soon become urgent and lead us into feeling and being overwhelmed.

Populate each quadrant of the diagram with your view of what fits where. Next decide, and agree with others what are the important but none urgent issues for you to be an effective leader and resolve to spend most of your time on these. Where would regular hospital visits or home communion come? What about the article for the church newsheet? Personal retreat?

4.  Set expectations

Set expectations about response time and considerations of urgent and none urgent issues. My experience in working with ministers is that when people use the phrase “this needs doing urgently”, this can mean anything from in the next 10 minutes to the next 3 days”. When we and others understand what we all mean we can respond appropriately and prioritise our time effectively.

5.  Take a team approach with God and your people

Pray to God to begin your day. Open your day with a devotional and a bible and a quiet place with which to establish your mindset, the tone and atmosphere of your coming day. Quality time in private with God sets all your days priorities in their proper order, importance and relevance. Sit in conference with your Jesus.

Talk to your team workers about your joint use of time and the challenges you each face and how you can support one another e.g., do we all need to be copied into emails about every little detail we have nothing to do with? Sifting through which emails to read or not all takes time when we have large numbers of them.

6.  Use Meetings effectively

Do meetings have to happen the way they always have? Do you have to be there for all of the time or just the part that needs your input or when you need to hear vital information? Can other technologies help reduce the time and frequency of your regular meetings? Can you have an on-line discussion of some agenda items before the deacons meeting?

7.  Give God Control! Don’t let technology control you

Take control of the technology. It is easy to respond to the ring of the telephone or the bleep of the mobile phone or the ping of the email arriving in the in box. Turn off the bleep of the email and only check your emails twice a day (see also “Taming the Email Dragon”). Silence or just turn off your smart phones during devotional times and meals, use your answering machine or call divert on a mobile phone when you should not be interrupted. God is always our #1!

Would we ever pause in the middle of a conversation with a bereaved couple to suddenly turn away to respond to a text message? Why do we then allow other “kingdom-oriented” situations to be interrupted by the call of technology?

8.  Let Go and Let God Manage interruptions

Research suggests it takes approximately 8 minutes to recover from being interrupted when you are in the middle of a task. Be ruthless with time, but gracious with people when handling interruptions and try to keep interruptions to a minimum. Find a time and a space where you won’t be interrupted, use technology or another “gatekeeper” to help e.g., your wife. Often when we are struggling with the task, we find our own interruptions to distract us from the difficulty of the task e.g., that third cup of coffee, social chat with a colleague.

9.  Avoid procrastination

Procrastination: “putting off the doing of something that should be done—intentionally, habitually and reprehensibly”. (John Adair). Do the worst jobs first – once you have got them over with you will feel a sense of relief and will not be dreading them for the rest of the day/week. If it’s a big job that you are putting off, break it up into bite size chunks: it’s easier to think of repainting one room in a house than having to prepare and repaint the whole house.

10.  Pray, ask God, what should it take to be much more like you and significantly much less like me?

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking “If I don’t do it, it won’t happen or be done as well”. Give God your “shout” time and space when you know you need it. Allocate some of those inevitable “I’m too busy right now” tasks, meetings to others. Pray them directly up to God, might they become a good development opportunity for others? It may take longer to do this at the outset as you have to explain what is needed but is so 100% worthwhile time saving in the long term.

Use GOD’S Time for our Personal Reflection

How much of your use of time is driven by your personality and that of others? Do you thrive on being with people generally and certain people in particular? Does spiritual discipline, preparation get crammed into your remaining time?

Do you feel or believe you absolutely have to push yourself to leave the solitude, preparation time spent in the study for those kingdom-oriented ministries?

Whatever your personality, time spent with God and a coach reflecting on how your personality impacts on your use of time, supported by the completion of personality inventories that highlight our own issues, can be extremely helpful.

  • Commit to completing devotional time with God and your personal time diary
  • Set up an appointment with someone to review and pray through it together
  • Try out one of the tips from scripture and see how it works for you: Today!
  • 100% ABOVE ALL ELSE – GIVE UNTO GOD ALL OF YOUR WORSHIP TIME! 

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us pray,

Thank You, Father, You know the end from the beginning and that everything under heaven is within Your authority. Thank You, that You are in control of all that is happening in my own individual life and the wider world in general. May I trust You through all the circumstances of life and as I seek Your face in prayer and praise, may I learn more and more to pray, “Thy will be done in my life and throughout the world.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! AMEN.

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