“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:” Ecclesiastes 3:1 NKJV
All things are temporal, yet they will dictate what we are eternally known for.
All things are temporal, yet they will dictate what we are eternally known for. Each season of life is an opportunity to reveal God’s Power and Presence. Every instance we go through pain can be used as gain in our character, development of trust in God, and increase in virtue.
Knowing there is a time for everything helps us to live our lives with greater understanding and awareness. We better recognize that the seasons we are currently in shall not remain forever.
It seems obvious, but the implications of knowing there is a time for everything helps us to live our lives with greater understanding and awareness. We better recognize that the seasons we are currently in shall not remain forever.
The season we are presently in is meant to grow, stretch, mold, shape, refine, and develop us.
The season we are presently in is meant to grow, stretch, mold, shape, refine, and develop us. We are beings of continual growth (or so, we should be), and that change can be increased, stunted, or neutral, depending upon our mindset and response to our current season.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV) helps us understand the different seasons we shall have throughout life:
“To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck 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; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw 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 of war, And a time of peace.”
When we are going through adversity, we know that it shall not last forever. When going through times of joy and prosperity, we know that this current state is not what shall always be. “In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him” (Ecclesiastes 7:14 NKJV).
All seasons are temporal. All seasons change, and this change occurs over time.
Time is the revealment of all truth. Time allows us to gauge who we truly are and where we are headed.
Time is the most precious yet the most difficult. Time is the revealment of all truth. Time allows us to gauge who we truly are and where we are headed.
Time is an extended dictation that will one day reveal before God how we served Him, loved others, and operated within this life.
Time is what we tend to waste the most. It is an extended dictation that will one day reveal before God how we served Him, loved others, and operated within this life.
We can become so obsessed with our current difficulties, frustrations, and stresses that we forget that this, in time, will pass and fade away.
Time is challenging because healing often does not take place instantly. We can become so obsessed with our current difficulties, frustrations, and stresses that we forget that this, in time, will pass and fade away. Maybe not disappear from our mind, but shrink from the stronghold it has within our mind.
If we continue to hold onto our past season, we will never prepare for the next season.
All things eventually lose their strength the more that time passes. If we continue to hold onto our past season, we will never prepare for the next season. By acknowledging that this is a temporal season and this joy or pain will not last forever, we can be comforted and readily prepared for what lies ahead.
God gives us certain seasons to test us, mold us, shape us, transform us, change us, rebuke us, chastise us, convict us, move us, direct us, purify us, and speak to us.
God gives us certain seasons to test us, mold us, shape us, transform us, change us, rebuke us, chastise us, convict us, move us, direct us, purify us, and speak to us. Without changing seasons, we would not learn to appreciate the good seasons or improve in the difficult ones. Without a change of seasons, our life would be dull.
We must allow the seasons to grow us into the men and women God desires us to be. We must strive to make “the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16 ESV).
Everything that comes our way comes with temptations. A season of discouragement comes with the temptation to sulk and remain depressed. A season where financial strain is prolonged comes with the temptation to stay in self-pity or invest in “get rich” schemes. A season where we are either single or not receiving the sexual intimacy we desire with our spouse comes with the temptation to relieve ourselves of sexual pressure through pornography.
A season of disappointment comes with the temptation to become angry at God. A season of prosperity comes with the temptation to forsake and neglect God. Whatever the season we go through, the Enemy is always lurking, striving to drive us off course from a profitable and productive life lived for God.
Eventually, a new season will come, and we must be both readily prepared and mentally sharp to embark on or endure the next phase.
This is why we must pray and ask God to “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 ESV). It’s okay to allow our current state of emotion to be brought to the forefront, but it is not okay to remain in that state for a prolonged time. Eventually, a new season will come, and we must be both readily prepared and mentally sharp to embark on or endure the next phase.
God is truly with us, wherever we are. His Omnipresence surrounds us in body, soul, and mind. He is everywhere, at all times. He is in all, through all, above all, and beyond all. He is the One Who draws near when we draw nigh to Him (James 4:8).
The beautiful reality in all of this is that God is truly with us, wherever we are. His Omnipresence surrounds us in body, soul, and mind. He is everywhere, at all times. He is in all, through all, above all, and beyond all. He is the One Who draws near when we draw nigh to Him (James 4:8).
The feeling of God can become an idol ahead of God. True faith does not need to feel. True faith continues in the Way and endures in the Truth.
God does not leave us on our own to endure difficult seasons. He is always there. He may extract the feeling of His Presence through certain seasons, but He does this to grow us in dependency upon Him, not in a feeling of Him. For the feeling of God can become an idol ahead of God. True faith does not need to feel. True faith continues in the Way and endures in the Truth.
Whatever season we may be in – joyful or discouraging – may we allow ourselves to feel the current state of our season, for there is a time for everything.
When it is time to cry, may we cry. When it is time to laugh, may we laugh. When it is time to socialize, may we socialize. When it is time for solitude, may we remain in solitude. When it is time to move, may we move. When it is time to wait, may we wait upon the Lord. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” (Psalm 27:14 ESV).
Recognize your season. Fully embrace how you feel. Live in the present, knowing that all things will pass and fade. The temporary will be as it is for only a moment, for our lives are continually shifting and changing. Knowing this, strive to remain concrete in Him Who is Immutable. When this occurs, each season of life will be better handled and lived.
May God's Love forever fill our hearts, that we may be flooded with peace that surpasses all understanding. Though the storm may rage, the fire may blaze, and the seas roar, we shall put our trust in Him, Who is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
May God Grace us with His Grace, Strength, Wisdom, and Protection to finish the race set before us. May His Love forever fill our hearts, that we may be flooded with peace that surpasses all understanding. Though the storm may rage, the fire may blaze, and the seas roar, we shall put our trust in Him, Who is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
PRAYER
God in Heaven, You are the Eternal One Who is not bound by time. You are Timeless, Formless, Immutable, and True. You alone, O God, are the Everlasting God Who created and formed everything. O God, Grace us in our current season. Keep us from distraction, temptation, and rushing into the next season. Teach us to still our souls and endure our current season, knowing it will not last. God, we pray and ask that You bless us with more of Your Presence. Help us to focus on things that are eternal. Help us, O Lord, to feel the state of our season and to trust You to see us through. God, some of us are hurting, while others are at the peak of their lives. Wherever we are, keep us on our knees and seeking You. Bless us with more profound revelations of Who You are. O God, work a miracle in us and our lives. We trust in You alone, for You are our Daily Bread. You are the Living Water that parches the abyss of our soul and fills us with an overflowing, unending river of Grace, Mercy, and Abundance. Thank You, God, for Your Holy Spirit, Who comforts us in our affliction, helps us in our confusion, advocates for us in our persecution, and prays through groanings that cannot be uttered. May we endure all seasons for Your Glory, knowing that in time, all things shall pass. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Lance VanTine
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