There Is A Time For Everything

Ecclesiates 3:1-8 “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”

This verse does not tell us anything new. I think we all know that there are different times in our lives when we are called to do different things. However, I do think it serves as a great reminder. Sometimes we can be so focused on what we want that we don’t stop to see or ask what God wants. For instance, I have been focused on building my business over this last year and God has been telling me that it is not time for that right now. It is time to focus on my family and the time to build my business will come soon. You may be in a similar circumstance, you are wanting to do one thing and God is telling you that it is not time for that right now. Sometimes, we don’t want to hear this. We are like children and we want to do what we want to do and we don’t want our Father to tell us we can’t. However, I can assure you that if you do listen, and you do things in God’s timing, they will go so much smoother. There will be less obstacles and dead ends. If you are getting promptings that it is a new time in your life, I urge you to take some time to listen to what God is saying. Remember, His plan is better than our plan.

I think these last 18 months have been a mixture of all the things above. For some of us it was a time to slow down and spend more time with our families. It meant less appointments that we were leaving the house for and more time at home. For others it meant they were even busier trying to save their businesses or work from home while being their children’s teacher. It was a time for some to embrace those living in their house a little more and for those living alone it was a time to refrain from embracing. It was a difficult time and we are still not out of the woods yet.

Sometimes when were are in a difficult time it can feel like that time is never going to end. It can feel like we will be struggling forever. God always keeps His promises though. So when he says there will be a time to weep and a time to laugh, He means it. Maybe you are currently in a time when you are weeping a lot. If this is you, know that there will be a time to laugh just ahead of you. If you are in a time of mourning, there will be a time to dance. The problem for many of us is that we don’t know when that new time is coming. I think it would be easier for us if we did know. If we knew we were going to be sad for 2 months, or 6 months, or 3 years and then we would get to be happy it would be easier. If we know there is an end in sight, it is easier to keep pushing forward. But what about when we don’t know?

My friend once told me that she was so tired of everyone telling her that this was just a season because it felt like such a long one and there did not seem to be any end in sight. I get that. It is so hard to keep going on without knowing what is coming next or when it is coming. If this is you, know that you are not a lone. There are a lot of people that are stuck in a long period of suffering and are just waiting for that change in season. It is coming. Don’t give up hope! I don’t know when but I do know that God will not let you suffer forever. He will bring you a time of laughter and dancing.

One thing I have heard several times over the last few years is that if you want the time of suffering to go by quicker then the best thing to do is to praise the Lord while you are still in the difficult time. I believe this will have two benefits. First, you will not be as miserable in the situation because when you praise God you feel better. When you are regularly praising God for how wonderful He is and thanking Him for the good things He is doing, it helps you become more grateful and I think it also brings more joy into your life. I can’t think about how amazing God is without smiling and feeling joy. Even if I a am not joyful about some aspects of my life, I can still be joyful about the miraculous things God does every day. For instance, did you know that not everyone got the gift of a brand new day of life today? There are some people that did not wake up this morning, and you did.

Secondly, our praise makes God happy. He will reward those who praise Him. I think if we can show God that we can be grateful and praise Him when times are tough, then he will reward us with better times. It says in Matthew 25:23 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” I believe this is the Lord telling us that if we can be faithful in small things, he will reward us with bigger things.

What does this mean for us and how does it help us when we are in a difficult situation? I think when we are struggling we can ask ourselves these questions: Can we be faithful with our praise, even when we are struggling? Can we continue to do the next right step even if when we can’t see how it all turns out? Can we be faithful with our trust in God in the little things? Can we be faithful now and forever? Yes, we don’t know what will happen. Yes, we don’t know how long we will be in this period of suffering. However, we believe that God keeps all His promises and that there is something good on the other side of this suffering. We just need to hold on and keep praising God and being faithful and He will deliver us from this hard time. I know this is easier said than done. But, please keep holding on. Please know that the season will change and you will have your time for laughter and dancing.

Dear Heavenly Father I ask you to bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord I ask that you be with all of us in whatever season of life we are in right now. I ask that you make it clear what time this is for us. If we are in a difficult season I ask that you give us the strength to keep on moving forward. If this is a time for us to rest Lord I ask you to make that clear to us. Lord we ask that you help us to praise you wherever we're at right now. We love you Lord and we are so grateful for all that you do. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’ holy name, Amen.