“Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil

– this is God’s gift to man.” (Eccl.3:13, ESV)

 

Telling time is a basic life skill, but it’s not as simple as it seems. Digital or analogue? Pacific or Mountain Time? Ante or post meridiem? Throw in Daylight or Standard Time and the confusion grows! Since time comes to us not only by hours, but by seasons and stages, it is vital to discern our lives as well as the clock. As we step into a new year, the wisdom of Solomon guides us.

 

Turn, Turn, Turn

The writer of Ecclesiastes offers insight for all who struggle with the change and chance of time. If life seems to be moving too fast or appears haphazard, consider what “the Preacher” says. He teaches that the moments and events of life are not chaotic. Everything is appointed (3:1). Things don’t simply happen, they are guided to their appropriate place. Time has a pilot. And it is not us.

Smart watches and digital calendars fool us into thinking that we can control time. It’s a delusion. We have no sway over the past, nor the future. Even our attempts to manage the present are easily frustrated. Does that mean that life is anarchy? No. There is a Lord of time and space. Before we consider Him, think of His ways.

 

Plus and Minus

God fills the moments of our days. Solomon offers a series of couplets to describe what God gives (3:2-8). They point to things we welcome and things we shun. A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to keep, and a time to cast away. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak. In 2025, we might hope and pray for all the positive events, but that is naive. Every life has a time for the things that are hard. They are not accidents nor necessarily punishments, but the Pilot has determined that this is our time for them. Solomon doesn’t suggest that these issues will fall to us in equal measure, but every life will have both – a time to mourn and a time to dance.

Knowing the time God has appointed for us will determine our response. If this is a time to let go, we shouldn’t be gathering. If this is a time to plant, we shouldn’t be trying to harvest. Knowing the time given to us will help us live wisely in the present time.

 

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

At the very start (3:1), Solomon speaks of time unfolding like seasons. Seasons come with a discernable pattern. When the leaves are coloured and falling, you know that winter is on the horizon. You are not shocked by the cold and snow. You’ve seen this before. The seasons bring change, but not surprises. You don’t try to fight the changes any more than you can fight winter. You know that it is unavoidable and that it is passing. Winter will melt into spring. The seasons are not permanent.

All of this is true for the times of our life, be they painful or pleasant. Like seasons, they arrive and they leave. We are not immune to their shifts. So, if this is a time of hardship for you, understand, it is not permanent. It is like a season. If you are in the middle of a joyous summer or an abundant harvest, remember, these also do not last. The seasons of life come to us all. They move upon us at the Hand of God.

 

The Lord of Time

Time is God’s creation. The Lord of eternity created our hours, days, months and years. The infinite One places us where there is both a beginning and an end. He created us as “time dwellers” with an eternal longing (3:11). Time is also His tool. God fills time and moves it towards His glory. He ensures that time is fitting and beautiful for every moment and every detail in our lives. He is moving everything towards His glory.

So, while we have no control over time, we can live well in the time God grants us. We live by faith in the Pilot. He is wise, loving, holy, powerful and flooded with grace. What does it mean to live well in our time? We are to enjoy the days God gives. 2025 is His gift, no matter what it holds. There will be days of laughter and tears, but each comes from the Lord who loves us. We are to put our hand to the task in front of us, without longing to be elsewhere. This is the time and place God has for us to do good, be joyful and take pleasure in His gifts (3:12-13).