In His Time

“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.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

The repetition of ‘a time…, and a time…’ begins to sound oppressive. Whatever season we are in, there are moments that cannot be stopped. The tide of events which moves us to one kind of action, then pulls us to another action into the reverse. A bad course of action answers a with a good. There are good things in life and bad things that cannot be escaped or stopped. Everything has its time. This list also shows us the need to take full advantage of the time God gives us. He has put eternity into our hearts. Through Jesus Christ we can have eternal life.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11

Our perception on time is linear and Gods perception of time is eternal. When you enter a relationship with him, you are outside of time. Even though death will come, and it will come because it is promised, your life in Jesus can start right now. It is outside of time. You can have eternal life. It begins the moment you decide to cross that line of faith and begin that relationship with Him today. Anytime you are faced with death or fear, remember that we have a God that is greater and bigger than anything we can understand. He is greater than the concept of time or what we can understand about death because he offers us eternal life.

We are stuck in a time where all hope seems lost. A pandemic, a shutdown of our country and the world, division on politics, division on ideas and beliefs. A time where jobs, homes, businesses, and lives lost. Amid the chaos, we seek truth, answers, knowledge, but what if it is all a distraction? What if the injustice we feel is taking our focus off the One with the perfect plan? The chaos and division are the enemy’s plan. The time we have left should not be used fighting battles out of our control. The time we have left should be bringing our fellow brothers and sisters to Jesus so they are not left behind. We must help lead them to eternal life. All the injustices and wickedness of the world, God shall judge. We cannot fathom Gods plan.

Let us continue through Ecclesiastes 3:16.

“Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there. I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

How can God be in control when the world contains so much evil? How can God be in control with the evil prospering in their sins and the righteous suffering in their obedience? Does that not seem backward from the way that we would think of God operating things? How should a Christian react to this?

Certainly, Solomon was not the first to ask this question. As much as we might dislike having to deal with this, it is nonetheless a reality. In His wisdom, God chose to deal with humanity in this way, and perhaps most especially, to allow His own children to face these same circumstances.

Solomon was comforted by two godly realities that we should also understand and use. First, he assures us that God will judge. The timing of His judgment is in God's capable hands. Therefore, we must remember that nobody among humanity will get away with the evil that he does. We cannot allow ourselves to forget that God is judging. It is a continuous process, and in many cases, we simply are not aware of present and unseen penalties that the evil person may already be paying.

Second, human nature naturally thinks that the way God handles things is unfair, a judgment that is the work of the spirit of this world (Ephesians 2:2-3). However, God's timing and judgment is much broader and more specific to each person. We are not walking in others' shoes, nor are we aware of what God is planning for them to experience. Give each other grace. He will take care of things in His time.

I close with these thoughts. What are you going to do with the time God has given you? Will you waste it on things out of your control? Will you give up or will you draw closer to Him? JESUS is the answer. Time here on earth is temporary. Your circumstances are temporary. It is time we prepare ourselves for Gods perfect timing. Step out of your perception of time and into eternity with your Heavenly Father!

Song of the day!

It’s Not Over Yet – By: for KING & COUNTRY

Oh, to everyone who's hit their limit It's not over yet It's not over yet And even when you think you're finished It's not over yet It's not over yet

Keep on fighting Out in the dark Into the light It's not over Hope is rising Never give in Never give up It's not over