A Time for Everything

I read through Ecclesiastes chapters 3 and 4 yesterday, but I never really got the chance to sit with what I felt they were speaking to me personally. God’s been tugging on my heart to stop delaying—and now I understand why.

Here’s what I learned:

I read through Ecclesiastes chapters 3 and 4 a few days ago, but I never really got to dive deep into what I felt it was speaking to me. God’s been tugging on my heart to stop delaying, and now I know why. Here’s what I learned:

The Word of God reminds us that the favor He grants is not due to our works or how well we’ve lived, but by His grace alone (Zechariah 4:6).

Everything has its appointed time—and I’ve learned that this does not change. However, we can miss what is meant for us when we are out of alignment with God.

When I read this verse:

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

(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Sometimes I mistakenly equate timing with randomness, when in truth, Scripture is pointing to divine appointments.

A relationship with God keeps us attuned to His frequency. Attunement is an awareness granted through communion with Christ. This is where we hear—and learn to recognize—the voice of God. Adhering to that voice is obedience. And obedience positions us to be in the right places at the right times, so that we do not encounter divine appointments either prematurely or unprepared.

Let’s go a little further.

Consider these two verses:

“For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”

(Isaiah 14:27)

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

We can deduce that God is in full control of timing. What has been appointed for a God-given purpose cannot be altered. There is nothing we can do to expedite it, nor can we delay it.

For instance, if you have a dental appointment scheduled for Monday at 11:30 a.m., you either arrive at the appointed time—or you miss it. You may be able to reschedule another appointment, but that specific date and time no longer exist. You cannot arrive early or late to something that has already passed.

The same is true with God and the times He has set for us.

To sum it all up:

What God has appointed will come in its time. Our current state does not determine arrival—it determines position. It determines whether we will be where we are meant to be when the time comes, and how we steward what we receive once it does.

The season itself will unfold regardless, but whether we experience it as a blessing depends on our response to the process leading up to it. Growth gained through refinement prepares us for what follows, while neglected areas can later work against us rather than for us.

Let’s say this simple prayer together:

Lord God,

Thank You for allowing us to learn more about You and Your ways each day.

Thank You that before I was born, You set aside times specifically for me—moments prepared to answer prayers I had not yet uttered.

Thank You that by Your grace, I will not miss what You have appointed for me.

Help me to live a life of obedience, so that I may experience the fullness of life as Your child.

Thank You for ordering my steps.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.