A Time for Everything

Trials should not surprise us, or cause us to doubt God's faithfulness. Rather, we should actually be glad for them. God sends trials to strengthen our trust in him so that our faith will not fail. Our trials keep us trusting; they burn away our self-confidence and drive us to our Saviour.  Edmund Clowney

I was reading Ecclesiastes 3 and the verse that stuck with me was in verse one (“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.”)  What does that mean?

This is what I think it means.  There is a season for everything.  That means that we are going to have many seasons in our lives and some of those seasons will be good and some will be bad. 

So here is an example from my life of a bad season.  The worst season of my life was cancer. At the time I didn’t think that was purposed for my good. What happened was in time I thanked God for that season.  Why?  In the current season of my life I thank Him for willing that to happen in my life because it drew me closer to Him.  I was going through life not thinking much about God at all and then “cancer”.  If you want something to get your attention that one did it for me. 

Each of us during our lifetime will go through many seasons and every one of us can probably remember the season that was the worst.  It might me the failure of a business, the loss of a spouse, loss of a job, the list is endless.  There is an unlimited supply in this world of bad seasons.  When we are in the bad season is when we should turn to Him and lay it at His feet.  He is the only One who can bring us to the other side of that season and help us to understand the value of it in our life. 

I heard a woman who had survived breast cancer say that she didn’t understand how anyone could consider cancer a blessing.  I have to say I consider it God’s favor on me.  He loved me enough to allow me to suffer so that I could get a true picture of Who He is, but my thankfulness didn’t come until a later season in life where I was not in the midst of chemo, lost hair and illness.  In the proper season His purpose was revealed to me and what a blessing it has been in my life. 

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You know what is best for me and I give my life to You to do as You will.  Take me and mold me into what You want me to be.  I am nothing without You.  You have blessed me over and over again during the hard seasons of my life.  You have also blessed me with good seasons.  I praise You for the tough times that teach me to love You more. 

Scripture:  Everything Has Its Time

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.  Ecclesiastes 3:1-8