BIBLE PASSAGE:
“To everything there is a season,
a time for every purpose under Heaven.”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)
MEDITATION:
Would you prefer witnessing a new birth,
or watching the end of the life of someone?
Would you prefer planting seeds and watching them grow,
or digging up old plants?
Would you prefer times of war, or a cure for diseases?
Would you prefer seeing relationships destroyed,
or relationships built up?
Would you prefer spending time in sadness and weeping,
or times of joy and laughter?
Would you prefer mourning over sad times,
or dancing to the good times?
Would you prefer seeing things in a chaotic state,
or seeing an orderly structure?
Would you prefer avoiding others,
or enjoying close relationships?
Would you prefer searching for the good,
or giving up and accepting the bad?
Would you prefer holding on to something dear to you,
or throwing everything away?
Would you prefer demolishing a relationship,
or repairing a broken relationship?
Would you prefer speaking and being the center of attention,
or being silent and humble?
Would you prefer holding on to, and embellishing hatred,
or being an encourager to others?
Would you prefer constant turmoil, or a peaceful environment?
Most of these questions are polar opposites, aren’t they? The answer
to each question should be obvious, so why would anyone ask them?
Because even though we may not choose some of them, we will most
likely experience some of the unpleasant ones in our lives.
In all of his wisdom, Solomon told us
there is a time and a season for each of the questions above.
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.
(Ecclesiastes 3:2-8)
If we consider the possibility that we could experience some (or all)
of the undesirable choices, it could be very discouraging to us, right?
If we are separated from Christ, our discouragement could become
overwhelming and create feelings of hopelessness so strong that we
have bouts with depression.
However, for those who have been redeemed and know Jesus, we have
hope during the bad times. We have a loving Savior we can turn to, who
will walk with us through the bad times to console and comfort us until
the ‘season of despair’ has passed.
Why would these scriptures even be included in the Bible? It could
one of be God’s ways of reminding us of the importance of our being
dependent on Him (which is what He desires), rather than becoming
independent (which we will find is inadequate to cope with some, or all,
the situations we encounter).
God loves us much more than most of us can wrap our minds around,
and He wants to be with us as our Encourager who will help us cope
with the difficult times in our lives. Why is that His desire? Because
He created us and He wants to protect us. Isn’t that our desire for
anything we have made?
God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46:1)
For those who are ‘far from Christ’, the assurance of God’s presence
may seem like some fairy tale; but for those who belong to the Lord,
we know it is real! How do we know it’s real? We know because most
of us have experienced His presence in our lives.
Believers have a desire to see the lost people of this world find
salvation in the Lord, however there is also another reason for
wanting to point others to God:
It is because we want them to be able to cope
with undesirable situations in their lives on earth.
Solomon also tells us there is,
“a time for every purpose under Heaven”
Doesn’t that imply there could be a purpose for the difficult times we
experience? If we are part of God’s family, then we should expect Him
to be constantly working in our lives to transform us into becoming
more righteous (it is part of His sanctification process). Why? Because,
if we are going to fulfill His purpose for us, then we need to be more
like His Son, Jesus.
Think about some very difficult times you have been through. It
could have been a financial issue, a relational issue with someone
(maybe a member of your own family), a devastating injury, a
lengthy illness, the sickness of a loved one, or any other type
of situation that brought you to the brink of hopelessness.
But then, you felt God’s presence and assurance that you would
be able to endure what you were going through. It may not have
been something obvious, but you prayed and you felt an unusual
peace about the situation. You might be in the middle of something
traumatic right now and thinking,
“Where is God in MY situation?”
If you are having thoughts like this, don’t give up, keep praying,
and remember God’s timing is different than ours. He loves us
and is working things out for our good, and especially when we
have a sincere love for Him.
And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love Him, who have been
called according to His purpose.
(Romans 8:28)
As we see in Romans 8:28, God calls each of us to become a part of
His purpose. What is His purpose? He wants everyone to become a
part of His family, so we will spend eternity with Him. Don’t just
brush over that thought, but meditate on it for a few moments,
‘God wants us to be with Him when our life on earth is over’.
To help us in ‘meeting His purpose’ with our lives, He gives us
a spiritual gift which is uniquely designed specifically for us.
He blesses us with this gift so we can participate in ‘His purpose’.
How exciting is that?
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit
distributes them. There are different kinds of service,
but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working,
but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
(1 Corinthians 12:4-6)
Now, think of a time when you felt the Lord’s presence in the middle
of some trial in your life. Remember how He enabled you to cope with,
and endure the ‘season’. What did He teach you during your ordeal?
You did learn something from the experience, right?
When we reflect on those times, we can usually see the positive impact
of our suffering. It may not have been pleasant at the time, but when
we have that “aha!” moment, we realize that God was teaching us
something very valuable; something that will help us become more
righteous, as He continues to sanctify us.
He may have been teaching us something, or preparing us to be available
for someone else when they are going through an unpleasant ‘season’.
When we have been through something similar, we can be much more
sympathetic, caring and compassionate than others who may not fully
understand how they are feeling.
From a personal standpoint, I once had a virus that also triggered
pneumonia and a temperature of 104 for several days. For the first
10 days I wasn’t sure I would recover. I kept praying but didn’t ‘feel’
like the Lord was anywhere around.
Then, before daybreak on the 11th morning, I received His
assurance that I would recover, but it would take awhile
(it took about 60 days). I can’t explain the ‘feeling’ I had
that morning, but I was confident it was from the Lord,
and it was exactly what I needed at the time!
Looking back, if He had given me assurance during those
first few days, I may not have been as excited and grateful
to hear from Him. But after wondering for 10 days if I would
recover, I can’t fully describe the peace and gratitude I had
that morning!
However, there was another message from the Lord in addition
to His assurance of my recovery. In 2013, the Lord ‘tasked’ me
with sharing the devotionals He would provide. I started sending
them to some large email distribution groups.
With His guidance, I later began sharing them on social media
platforms. I tried to create and distribute one each day, but as
I tracked the number of views, I found that they were viewed
by more people if I shared only 1-3 each week.
The morning when I received His assurance that I would recover,
I felt He was also telling me to start distributing His devotionals
on a daily basis again. I remember thinking at the time,
“When I did this in the past, the devotionals had
less views, which means that some of the people
God needs to speak to, might stop reading them”
But you know what happened next? It was as if the Lord said to me,
“You distribute them daily and let
me take care of everything else.”
So, if you have been reading His devotionals and wondered why there
are more of them lately, now you know the reason.
On another note, if some of them are longer than others, don’t let Satan
convince you that they are too long to read. Each one can usually be read
in 5-15 minutes. Jesus was on the cross 6 hours suffering for us. With that
vision in our minds, spending 15 minutes is doable, isn’t it? We should
look forward to dedicating at least that amount of time with our Savior.
ACTION:
Are you going through a difficult time right now? If so, how
are you coping with it? Are you trying to survive it in your
own strength, or, are you depending on the Lord for strength,
guidance, hope, and encouragement?
Have you considered asking other believers to pray for you and
your situation? Sometimes we are reluctant to involve others in
our difficult times, however, we may be excluding the very ones
who care about us and will faithfully and sincerely pray for us.
Think about this:
Whenever we ask others to pray for us, it gives
them an opportunity to see how God is working
in our lives. He may be preparing them for some
difficult ‘season’ they will have in their future.
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your assurance that
You will be with the faithful who love You. You have
promised to be with those who belong to You during the
good times and bad. Without You and Your presence, we
have no hope. You are the God of the universe, and the
only God we worship and praise. Thank You for loving me
and for being the God I can depend on in my time, or times
of need. Forgive me for when I have been independent and
excluded You from the difficult seasons in my life. No matter
what season I am in, help me to always exhibit my faith in
You. Teach me to trust You more each day!”
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