Ecclesiastes 3:1
“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”
There is indeed a time for everything. It is common for us to not understand the how or why of an event or situation, but in time we come to see God’s hand in it. When we are young, we worry about what our peers think of us not understanding that shortly their names and faces will fade from our mind. Their unkind words and deeds will not be easily forgotten, but time will help to minimize the acute pain of their careless and insensitive attitudes and slights. For those of us who suffered at the hands of arrogant and oblivious peers, God’s healing balm on our damaged emotions enables us to move past the pain and forgive the unwitting and ignorant perpetrators — God’s time has become a healer.
Life moves on and many of us marry dreaming of a happily ever after experience. So often couples find that God’s pronouncement in Genesis 2:24 that “they will become one flesh” is not easily accomplished. The “one flesh” proclamation is great in theory but does not translate well in a home where the spirit of independence and self-fulfillment reigns. Not surprisingly, saying “I do” means I do promise to reveal my selfishness and I do promise to remind you when you reveal yours. But for those striving to understand the “one flesh” promise, for those committed to following God’s design for a healthy and mutually respectful relationship, God will teach humility and sacrifice. The once contentious union may be God-crafted into a beautiful and grace-filled union. In the course of time, restoration is accomplished and God is glorified in the lives of a committed couple.
Many couples dream of parenting a child. They talk about the size of their perspective family and select the names for their intended children. Sadly, the words infertility and sterility can be a death knell to those who desire to be “fruitful and increase in number” (Genesis 9:1). But for those who have cried the lonely tears of a soul desirous of childbirth, God shows He is faithful. As desire yields to redirection, God moves and guides the broken man or woman to find purpose and substance in a timely manner allowing Him to fulfill His divine purposes through the unique and often misunderstood circumstances of a childless life.
We exist by God’s appointment and we can rest in the fact that He is sovereign over our lives. There is much rest in that, especially when we don’t understand our situation or circumstance. Psalm 145:15 declares, “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. He has made everything beautiful in its time,” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Father God, help us to trust you when our finite minds cannot possibly understand your infinite plan. Help us to love you when our misinterpretation of your will tempts us to be angry or bitter in the face of the cares of this world and unfulfilled dreams. And finally Heavenly Father, forgive us for wanting to escape the very circumstance or situation that You intended to bring us into conformity with your good and perfect will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
