1 There’s a season for everything
and a time for every matter under the heavens:
2 a time for giving birth and a time for dying,
a time for planting and a time for uprooting what was planted,
3 a time for killing and a time for healing,
a time for tearing down and a time for building up,
4 a time for crying and a time for laughing,
a time for mourning and a time for dancing,
5 a time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
a time for embracing and a time for avoiding embraces,
6 a time for searching and a time for losing,
a time for keeping and a time for throwing away,
7 a time for tearing and a time for repairing,
a time for keeping silent and a time for speaking,
8 a time for loving and a time for hating,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from all their hard work? 10 I have observed the task that God has given human beings. 11 God has made everything fitting in its time, but has also placed eternity in their hearts, without enabling them to discover what God has done from beginning to end.
Reflection
“Now, now, this is no time for _____.” How many times have you heard that? How many times have you said it?
We somehow intuit that certain times are appropriate for certain kinds of actions, and others are not. There’s a moment to be firm, and a moment to be conciliatory. There’s a moment to show your anger, and a moment to bite your tongue. There’s a time for jokes, and a time to get serious.
Part of the reason why this passage of scripture is so timeless, that it continues to inspire songs and art, is that it speaks to the fluidity of life and the moment-by-moment judgment and godly wisdom needed to live it well. Life demands discernment about the times.
Some of the verses are hard to hear – particularly verse 8 about love and hate, war and peace. And yet, on a heart level we understand even these difficult ideas. I’ve been in tense situations where I absolutely had to steel my heart against someone so that they wouldn’t take advantage of my emotions. I bet you have too. I did that because I know myself, and how I can bend under emotional weight. But I also knew that the moment required me to stand strong on another value that could not be compromised. I’m not sure if that’s hate, exactly, but it definitely is a defensive posture – a kind of war footing. Thank God those are moments and not permanent ways of being.
“God has made everything fitting in it’s time.” This is the wisdom that ties this whole passage together. All our feelings, all our emotions, all the things we appreciate and all the things we hate doing – it all belongs. So maybe the next time you’re tempted to say, “Now’s not the time…” pray and ask God, “then what time is it, really?”
by Joe Monahan
For Pondering and Prayer
When have you recognized that a difficult or uncomfortable moment was still part of God’s timing? What helped you see that it “belonged”?
Prayer: God of every season, teach us to trust your timing. When life feels like it’s out of rhythm or spinning beyond our control, remind us that every moment, whether joyful or painful, can be made fitting in your hands. Help us remember that everything belongs. Grant us wisdom to act or wait, to cry or stay strong, as your Spirit leads. Amen.
