Have you ever noticed that life feels like a series of seasons — some filled with laughter, others with tears, and still others that feel like you’re just surviving? Solomon didn’t just observe this; he named it. In Ecclesiastes 3, he gives us a divine framework for understanding that every season has purpose, and more importantly, that our story is unfolding on top of God’s eternal plan.
What’s Your Season?
Solomon opens Ecclesiastes 3 with one of the most recognizable passages in all of Scripture:
“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.”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1–4
He goes on to describe the full spectrum of human experience — casting stones and gathering them, embracing and refraining, keeping and discarding, tearing and mending, speaking and remaining silent, loving and hating, waging war and pursuing peace.
Everyone in that room on August 10th — and everyone listening today — is living their own season. Some are experiencing joy and fruitfulness. Others are in a season of deep trial. The encouraging truth is that everyone is in a season, and no season lasts forever.
Two Ways to Respond in Every Season
When Solomon forces us to confront the variety of life’s experiences, two responses emerge that apply regardless of what season you’re in right now.
1. Ask for Wisdom
Solomon’s whole book is about chasing wisdom in a world that often feels meaningless. James tells us exactly what to do when we lack it:
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
— James 1:5
In every season — the good and the bad, the easy and the hard — the call is the same: seek God’s wisdom. That means filtering our decisions through Scripture, through prayer, and through the wise counsel of others. Ask yourself: Does this bring glory to God? Does this lead to peace and righteousness? Does this decision benefit others or just me?
There are seasons to fight for relationships and seasons to lovingly release them. There are times to speak up and times to remain silent. God’s Word gives principles, and wisdom applies them to our specific situations.
2. Understand What God Is Accomplishing
Here’s the profound truth: there is not a single season of your life that God is not interested in. Every season — especially the hard ones — is being used by God to teach, train, or prepare you.
“It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as a son… For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
— Hebrews 12:7, 11
Sometimes difficulties come as discipline. Sometimes they come to draw us near to God when comfort would cause us to drift. Sometimes God simply uses hard seasons to humble us and break our pride. The enemy would have us believe that an easy life means we’re doing something right — but Solomon and the writer of Hebrews both push back on that.
God has not abandoned your story. He’s writing it.
Our Timeline on Top of God’s Timeline
Ecclesiastes 3:9–15 shifts from our personal seasons to something much bigger — God’s eternal plan:
“I perceive 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.”
— Ecclesiastes 3:14
We live our brief 70, 80, maybe 90 years on top of God’s eternal timeline. He had a plan before the foundation of the world, and He is executing it perfectly. Paul captures this in Romans:
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.”
— Romans 11:36
This truth is both an encouragement and a warning: God’s timeline will happen. Nothing mankind can do will prevent it or speed it up. But for those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, we get to participate in it.
Three Appointed Times on God’s Calendar
God has revealed key events on His timeline. Here are three that anchor our hope:
The First Coming: When the Fullness of Time Arrived
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”
— Galatians 4:4–5
God had a specific moment in human history when He sent Jesus — not a random event, but the exact time He had planned from eternity past. The Messiah came to redeem fallen humanity. The cross was not an afterthought; it was the center of God’s plan.
The Present Age: Living Between Appointments
We are now living in what the Bible calls the “age of grace” — the time between Christ’s first and second coming. We don’t know how long this season will last, but we know what we’re called to do in it:
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
— Galatians 6:9–10
While we wait for Christ’s return, God calls us to faithful service — using our time, talents, and resources for His kingdom purposes, especially caring for fellow believers.
The Return of Christ: The Next Appointed Time
Just as God appointed the exact time for Jesus’ first coming, He has appointed the time for His return. Paul describes it this way in Romans 11:
“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved.”
— Romans 11:25–26
God is waiting for the “fullness of the Gentiles” — the exact number of people from every nation who will trust in Christ — before the rapture of the church. We don’t know when that will be, but we know it will happen at the precise moment God has appointed.
And at a future appointed time, there will be a final judgment. Acts 17:31 tells us:
“[God] has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed.”
— Acts 17:31
Every sin not paid for by the cross will be accounted for. Justice will be done. (Next week, we’ll dive deeper into this important topic.)
An Invitation to Participate
Knowing that God’s timeline is certain should not make us passive — it should make us participants. God invites us by grace to be part of His eternal plan. Your life matters. Your choices matter. Every season — even the difficult ones — is an opportunity to trust and worship Him.
When we take communion, we do so in light of all three of God’s appointed times: we look back at Christ’s death, we live in the present age of grace, and we look forward to Christ’s return. As Paul said, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).
“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever.”
— Romans 11:33, 36
Scripture References
- Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 — Seasons of life
- Ecclesiastes 3:9–15 — God’s eternal timeline
- James 1:5 — Ask for wisdom
- Hebrews 12:7, 11 — God uses every season for discipline and training
- Romans 8:28 — All things work together for good
- 2 Corinthians 4:18 — Light momentary affliction prepares eternal glory
- Galatians 4:4–5 — The fullness of time and Christ’s first coming
- Galatians 6:9–10 — Do good while we have opportunity
- Romans 11:25–26 — Fullness of the Gentiles and Christ’s return
- Romans 11:33, 36 — Glory to God forever
- Acts 17:31 — God will judge the world in righteousness
- 1 Corinthians 11:26 — Proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes