Season to Season

Ecclesiastes 3
1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8 A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?
10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor–it is the gift of God.
It is hard to explain when God places the change of seasons in one’s heart. We all have likely, hopefully, felt them, and it is hard to somewhat explain the work God is doing inside of us. I sat on the porch this morning, prayerfully contemplating this bend inside of me that I feel. The coolness of the morning almost seemed as though a confirmation of a work He is doing. God is never going to leave you comfortable, never going to let you become stagnant, always going to stretch you beyond your comfort zone so that you may realize how you need to rely on him, and not your own strengths. God brings about seasonal changes within you, to bring about change, to wrought out the work of sanctification in your life; he let’s some things die, so that others may grow, just as he does throughout nature.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, pens out his deepest feelings, struggles, anxieties, reflections, questions, and conclusions throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. This book has always tugged at me; the depth of his struggles amidst incredible blessings display the incredible power of God working within his mind and soul. The depth of the struggles, or wrestling with God if you will, present the need of God amidst the greatest blessings of God. At no point in anyones life, including the most worldly blessed in Biblical history, are we apart from the daily need for God, the daily desire for God, the daily understanding it all passes through his sovereign hands.

If you are struggling today, know that Solomon did too. Commit to spend some time in this book that he penned, a book of his struggles with all of life too, and realize he realized that life is all about one’s heart for God, in the midst of everyday with or without him as the focus of one’s life. The glimpse of sovereignty that may come with it, will give you more peace about it, and allow you to pass more smoothly from season to season.