For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1 ESV
Times and seasons are predetermined by God. When I vacationed in Colorado last week, I would have loved to see more of the aspen trees changing than what I did, but it was too early for most of the leaves to change in the southern part of the state. They did not change colors just because I was there to see it. Is it that way with many things in our lives? We do not always get what we want or when we want it.
God is omniscient. He even knows the number of hairs on our heads. Imagine a calendar with our name on it and He knows exactly what will happen to us every minute of every day. Too often we think we know what is best in our lives and go down that path just to find out that it was a mistake. Why can we not just trust God to lead us where we need to go? We even push our agenda in our prayers, yet the desires of our hearts and our requests of Him too often conflict with what His will is for our lives.
This simple verse is to remind us we need to live by faith and to trust God’s judgement in all things. He blesses not only the just, but also the unjust. He takes the foolish schemes and rebellious acts of men and uses them to fulfill His ultimate plan. I think back to the story of the Last Supper in the Bible. Jesus did not treat Judas any different than the rest of the disciples even though He knew he would betray Him later that evening. When you see others getting blessings that you feel you deserve more than them, think back about this approach to the situation. We do not have the capability to see God’s ultimate plan. Everything going on around us fulfills this plan.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 sums it up.
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
Let God set up your agenda each day to fulfill His will in your life. It takes away so much stress when you follow His lead instead of trying to do it alone. When you realize the good and bad times in your life are all part of the overall story and it always has a good ending, it gives you peace.
Peace be with you!
