Tag: Ecclesiastes

The Time Giver

by Nicky Wood

Ecc. 3:1: “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.”

Ecc. 3:11: “He has made everything beautiful in its time…”

Time can either be your friend or your enemy – which one will be determined by the way you treat it…

If you are impatient and you lose your temper with it, time will be your enemy. If you embrace it and learn the art of waiting, it can be your friend. If you know when the right time is for the right action and activity, you can learn to use it in your favour… and what better way to know than asking the One who made it?

He who made the seasons is never in a hurry, yet He is always on time! The faithfulness of God is manifested in our lives if we are willing to wait on His timing. If we take matters into our own hands because of our impatience, we may miss the opportunity of seeing God come through for us and prove His faithfulness.

Moses was tending sheep in the desert for 40 years before God appeared to Him in a burning bush and his life changed in an instant. He must have known how he was destined for greater things but he was stuck in a boring job waiting for God to act.

Abraham laughed when God told him that he would have a son because he couldn’t believe that at his age (100) and that of his wife (90) it would be possible (Genesis 17:17).

I guess nobody could have blamed him or Sarah for thinking that it’s all a joke on the one hand, but on the other hand, Abraham was well aware that the God he served was and is a miracle working Father and nothing is too hard for him. He should also perhaps have known that his finite human mind couldn’t possibly comprehend what God can do with the time He gives to each of us. Be it a few years or a few seconds. Even if we think time is running out for us, the final word goes to the One who holds it in His hands.

Sometimes we lose our hope and joy if God does not act within our timetable. Yet this brings us back to the example of the Potter and the clay… Isaiah 45:9 (NLT): “What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker?” In the same way shall we ask the One who made time why He doesn’t act when we think with our limited capacity, that the right time has come?

Can I encourage you to be willing to wait in a society that believes in instant gratification? A prayer that hasn’t been answered might just mean that it is not the right time for it yet to come to pass. Don’t give up hope.

Set your mind on things above, and He will come through for you at just the right time. Moreover, Ecclesiastes tells us that He has made everything beautiful in its time. Not only does He arrange everything for our good (Rom 8:28) but he makes it all beautiful.

Life is unfair but God is faithful

by Nicky Wood

Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NLT):

“I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessary wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by time and chance, by being in the right place at the right time.”

The wisest man who ever lived on this planet, Solomon, wrote these words. In essence what he is proclaiming, is that life on earth is in a word – unfair.

If life was fair, the fastest athlete would win the race. The strongest fighter would win the fight. If you are good at what you do, you would always make money and if you are learned, you would be favoured. But no. This is not always the case as we all know. The fastest runner could fall and twist his ankle just before the finish line…the strongest fighter could make a minute judgement error and lose the fight in a millisecond. The brilliant mind could be the beggar on the street corner because nobody afforded him a chance in life. The most educated employee could be overlooked for that important role because he or she was not favoured by management.

Why? Because time and chance happened to them all. And while we live on this sphere spinning around the sun, our lives of course are governed by these elements that we cannot control.

But yet… there is One who made time and who holds chance in His hands – His name is I am. Rock of Ages, the Living God, the Holy one, Abba Father. Our God. The Creator who made you.

If you have a personal relationship with His Son, Jesus, your time is written in the Book of Life and all chance encounters that happen to you are shaped by His almighty hand that controls the universe.

Solomon is right – life is unfair – but we have a faithful God. A God who can use all your moments and all the chances given to you, who can shape them all for your good.

Maybe you received some bad news today. Maybe the doctor gave you an unexpected medical report. Maybe someone you love passed away unexpectedly. Maybe your parents or your children told you something that broke your heart. And the one thought you had was how unfair life is.

Maybe you are asking: If God is faithful, why am I still sick?

If God is faithful, why did my child die?

If God is faithful, why am I depressed? Why was I abused? Why do I feel so hopeless? Why did my marriage fail? Why am I struggling financially?

The questions are endless.

I do believe that the answers are there though…the question is; do we want to know the One who holds all the answers?

If you were to have a true understanding of how faithful He is, I believe your heart will be open to search. And the answers that have been eluding you all your life – will fall into place like pieces of a puzzle. You might not know the complete picture this puzzle is forming, but you will start to see it coming together and realize how beautiful it will be.

I want to point you to the Faithful One. I want you to know just how much He cares for you, no matter what you have done in your past or what you will do in the future. I hope and pray that you will take this journey with me.

God Bless

Nicole