July 8 – God of All Seasons (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

“A time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak.”(Ecclesiastes 3:7)

IN WORD:
If we really want to understand how this passage is to play out in our lives, we need only to look to Jesus. We could make a case that every time under heaven was fulfilled appropriately by Him. A time to be born? Yes, in the fullness of time, in fact. A time to die? Yes, at God’s appointed moment. A time to kill or to tear down? Yes, an evil climate of false beliefs had to be assaulted. A time to heal or to build? Yes, and He is still healing and building today. Moreover, He scattered and gathered, embraced and refrained, tore and mended, was both silent and outspoken. He loved people and hated sin — He still does both. He declared war on the kingdoms of this world and proclaimed eternal peace, the “shalom” of God. Jesus did not make his seasons either/or propositions. He understood God’s timing better than any other.
We need to be similarly discerning about God’s timing. We need to know the circumstances that call for war against evil and those that call for peace instead of conflict. We need to understand when to violently plow unbroken soil and when to gently plant seeds. We need to remember how God confronted us with our own sinfulness and yet patiently led us to repentance. We need to consider the God who has a time for everything from bold opposition to humble encouragement. Most of all, we need to dispense with the idea that Jesus came to affirm everyone and take hold of the idea that He came to radically change and reorient people, cultures, and kingdoms. And we must remember: The new creation will not co-exist with the old one forever.

IN DEED:
By observing God’s own activity, we can know that there is, in fact, a time for everything. The God who stepped into His once-perfect, now-rebel world has a plan for uprooting and planting, killing and birthing, warring and making peace. Blessed are those who understand what He is doing and get in on it.

“The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.” -Leo Tolstoy-