There is one section of scripture that everyone, believers and non-believers alike, have heard at one time or another. But the interpretation of those words by the two is as different as night and day. For the non-believer it’s “fate,” a life of wishes, fears, worry, anger, envy, and disappointment. For the believer it’s “faith,” a life of hope, trust, freedom, blessing, and promise. But at the same time there is a constant pulling at the believer’s faith by the voice of fate that can become overpowering and crippling if that scripture is not clearly understood.
The third chapter of Ecclesiastes has even been popularized in our time in song by the Byrds… Turn, Turn, Turn (sorry, I always liked the music of the 50’s and 60’s). And for the majority of the world that is just what life seems to be; a constant turning from one challenge to another, from one crisis to another. But for the believer in Jesus Christ, for His bride, the message it delivers is one of hope. And Solomon’s opening line captures the essence of that message…
Eccl 3:1 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
And that message is reinforced throughout the book of Ecclesiastes: 3:17 … a time for every work; 8:6… for every matter there is a time and judgment. Yes there is a time, God’s time. And unless we understand what that “time” is all about, our “faith” will ever be challenged and weakened by the drumbeat of the voice of “fate.” So, what is it that we need in order to build up our faith and stand up against that drumbeat?
First we need to understand that nothing happens in the life of a believer that is not caused by, directed by, or allowed by God.
Eccl 3:3… A time to break down, And a time to build up;
Here’s a crazy picture but it makes the point. If you want to build up your body’s strength you go to a fitness coach who develops a plan and a schedule for you. His goal is to breakdown your muscles in order to build them back up… stronger. That’s what the Holy Spirit does for us through each and every challenge we face. The goal of the strength coach is to make us stronger, the goal of the Holy Spirit is to use our challenges and trials to build up our faith. He breaks down (compels) and the He builds up (repairs) our faith by using the Word of God to address our circumstances; breaking down the false and building up the truth.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
I know, I keep coming back to this verse, but it is “the” answer to the question we keep asking ourselves… “What is God’s will for my life?” Our seasons of breaking down and building up are all about walking out and accomplishing His will, which involves Him using the things of this world to transform us into the image (character) of Jesus. That’s the process and He accomplishes it in His Time. And it’s an ongoing process of creating and renewing…
Ps 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
It’s a process that is all in accordance with His perfect, individual plan for each of us…
Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
And the last part of that verse is what it’s all about. We should walk in them (peripateo; be occupied with). That means we “need” to be occupied with focusing on what God is doing in our life. And we can’t accomplish that if we are not listening to and focusing on the voice of the Holy Spirit; the voice of the One who is doing the creating and renewing. And this verse paints a beautiful picture of that process.
In the Greek, the word for “workmanship” is poema, from which we get our word “poem.” Everything that takes place in our life is an integral part of the “poem” that God is writing with our life. And one day we will hear that poem recited by His very own lips… what will it say?
Yes, our lives are bound by seasons and times, but God is in control of each one, ensuring that everything in our life takes place In His Time!