The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Monday
December 22, 2008
There is a time for everything,
a season for every activity under
heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to
harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time
to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time
to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to
embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A
time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to
mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time
to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.
What do people really get
for all their hard work? I have thought about this in connection with the
various kinds of work God has given people to do. God has made everything
beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even
so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. So I
concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy
themselves as long as they can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the
fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
And I know that
whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God's
purpose in this is that people should fear him. Whatever exists today and
whatever will exist in the future has already existed in the past. For God calls
each event back in its turn.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-15
God's timing is – quite different from ours – and perfect! As humans it is sometimes difficult to really believe that God has a time for everything in our lives. There is a reason for everything He allows in our lives. The outcome for everything is to be conformed into the image of His Son. Anything outside of this is futile!
In the scope of eternity God had a plan…a time when Jesus would be born. The setting had to be right, the time had to be right, and the young woman had to be right – and willing – to face ridicule and scorn. God waited. He is never premature in His dealings with us. Yet, He allows us to do things prematurely.
As we approach Christmas we need to remember that God has a plan. For some people this will be a difficult Christmas because their marriage of twenty some odd years is on the brink of divorce. For some people Christmas will be difficult because this is the first year without their parent, their spouse, or their child. As a result, this may be God's time for you to spend some time with one of them and eat, drink, and help them be as merry as possible!
Father, we trust You as much as we possibly can with Your timing. Help us be faithful in waiting for that time. Help us help others wait as well. O come, O come, Emmanuel!
