Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 Am I Okay in This Season of My Life

Ecclesiastes 3:1–15 ESV

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

Am I okay in this season of my life? Well first of all I have to know that God has appointed all the seasons in my life. There are many seasons in our life, of that we can all agree, that are spelled out here for us in Scripture. Notice what this passage opens up saying, one there is a season for everything…for every activity (where) under heaven. This means these seasons are a part of this life in this fallen world. We are not always gonna be in a good season. Sorry to drop that on you this morning but sometimes we are gonna face a difficult time. God appointed those times that I will struggle with something.

A lot of people don’t know that King David’s son Solomon wrote the book of Ecclesiastes and the Bible says that he was the wisest man alive, when he spoke everyone typically listened. So what does this book say, in short life is made up of many different seasons and not just like summer, winter, spring, and fall. Different seasons for different emotions as well as different responsibilities. Some seasons are longer than others. Some seasons overlap in our lives. We might be struggling with growth, but we are also in a season of blessing at the same time.

God is in control of all the seasons of our life. He’s gonna use them to shape us, to help us to learn how to deal with hardship, he wants to be more like Him and less like us. He wants us to know that everything in this life is beautiful in its time and that He is always in control.

Now the first season is an easy one. A time to be born and a time to die. God appoints this time of that we would all agree. There is not one person in here who determined their birthday or can say with absolute certainty the day we are going to die. We would all agree that God is in control of these times.

Why do we have an issue trusting that God is in control of the other seasons we go through in this life. Why do I find myself looking at where I am when it gets tough and saying “God where are you?” He is there church, here’s some good news He was there before you got there. You might say but brother Steve I did this, I put me here. Well praise God you can recognize when you have wandered away from God. That’s good but it does not change the fact that God was there when you got there. He was waiting for you to arrive and come the realization that you messed up and that you need His forgiveness. He is waiting to extend that forgiveness to you all you have to do is ask. He is there in that season of rebellion.

What about when I didn’t put me here, well that just means that this is a test brothers and sisters. We are being tested and tried and refined as if by silver. We gotta go through the fire every now and then to burn out some imperfections and praise be to God when I walk through that fire He walks beside me. So much so that when I come out the other side my clothes wont even smell like smoke. He is there in that season of learning.

There is a time to plant and harvest. There is a time to plant, have you ever tried to plant something out of season. Will it grow? Will it produce? I can no more change the season of planting and harvesting any more than I can change the time I am born and the time I am to die.

The seasons of my life are guided by God just the same as the seasons every year, that is set by God. The question remains am I okay in this season of my life? Am I okay with where I am? When I am trying to do something and it just wont work no matter what I do, this might not be a time to plant. This might be a season of rest, or maybe it’s a season of obedience, maybe it’s a season where God is calling me to just be still and draw closer to him. We always want a season to be about something. We want to know that we are getting something done.

God will change the season of life I’m in when He is ready to change me. What God wants is for me to trust Him no matter where I am in life and no matter what is happening. If life is hard turn to God, life is good praise God, facing a decision seek God’s face and guidance.

verses 9-11 Ecclesiastes 3:9-11

Ecclesiastes 3:9–11 ESV

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

What do I get from my toil? I get eternity that’s what I get. On the way to eternity there is going to be beauty in its time. Does this passage say that there will always be beauty? This passage goes on to say that eternity has been put in my heart, however look how it starts out “I have seen that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.” God has given me something to do and made everything beautiful in its time. When I am following Him I am not promised that it is going to be good everyday. The task I am given comes from God.

I get so busy with worrying about what comes next I cannot possibly be okay with where I am in this season that I am walking through now. I want it to be okay so bad sometimes. I want it all to be just so and life is not like that. I have to learn to be okay with what God is doing in my life right now.

There is a part in Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back when Luke, our hero, goes on to find the wise Jedi Master Yoda to learn the ways of the force from him. When he gets there Yoda says all his life I have watched this one always looking to the stars dreaming of adventure a Jedi craves not these things. Always looking to the stars never focused on where he is or what he is doing. This guy is a Jedi master living in a swamp on a swamp planet that is wet and nasty and really a dump if you ask me, but he is okay in his season right where he is. Later in Return of the Jedi we see why Yoda was so alright living in a swamp, when he dies he becomes one with the force. He welcomes that change that he worked so hard for, but alas that is a story for another time…….(smile)

We are just like that we don’t focus on what God is doing or showing us right now. “I’m in a bad season of life brother Steve you don’t understand.” Folks I assure you I have seen bad. Now some of us are facing uphill fights in life right now I will absolutely agree with you, but if you think for one second that God ain’t with you please when I give the invitation get to the altar and let me pray with you. I don’t care how big the issue you are facing my God is bigger.

The problem is in this season of life I want so much for things to be different, I would dare say there is not one person here this morning that if I asked what would you change about your life right now you would say nothing. Absolutely nothing God is good and I am happy right where I am right now in this season of my life.

Please listen to me this morning and understand I am not making light of whatever the battle you are fighting right now, but when you get done there is another battle and another battle. When you learn this lesson there is another lesson and another lesson and another lesson.

If your rich, if your poor, if your happy, if your sad, if you have suffered loss, or you have plenty, there is always another season coming. Ecclesiastes 3:11

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

He has given us eternity in our hearts folks but I cannot see what God is going to do from here to there. I am just walking by faith. I am trusting that my God is a good God and that He knows what I need or what I don’t need right now. He is God and He is gonna sustain me through not only right now but through tomorrow and every tomorrow after that. If I am sad He is there to wipe my tears, If I am happy……..If I am happy…..I said are you happy this morning that God is there for you. If I am happy it is because God is my God and I get to go to heaven……if for no other reason that one is enough.

look at verse 12 with me Ecclesiastes 3:12

Ecclesiastes 3:12 ESV

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;

Joyful, that’s the word of the day that word means to be happy. Man how can I be happy with what is happening in my life. These verses don’t mean that I am always gonna feel happy, the meaning here, is that in every season of my life I should be happy knowing that I get to go to heaven and nothing can take that away from me. Whatever is happening in my life, its temporary. This season is temporary. So again I’ll ask are you okay with the season of life that you are in?

Sometimes we don’t need the season to change we just need to change our perspective on the season. I want to ask you this morning are you okay today? If you say yes praises God, if your not its okay to not be okay, just don’t doubt that your God, my God, our God is there for you right now if you need Him.

He will never leave you and never forsake you no matter what you face. Don’t let the perspective change from God loves me, to where is God? You don’t have to be okay in this season cause there is another one coming one day.

Invitation…….