Devotion: Work on the Move
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14
Everything Has Its Time
“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;
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
The God-Given Task
What gain have the workers from their toil? I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with. He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has done this, so that all should stand in awe before him.”
The first 8 verses of this week’s passage in Ecclesiastes 3 in the NRSV Bible is titled “Everything Has Its Time.”
Whenever I reflect on this passage I have found it a cacophony of sensations. It takes a while for my mind and heart to connect the intention behind these verses. In fact, skimming the second and eighth verse can make the most resilient of people very queasy in the gut…
“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 love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.”
In today’s society, most people thrive on technology and innovation, where economic advancements rapidly evolve with every new software release and IPO announcement. I work in an industry where people are buying (or building) new homes. New home buyers will often comment to me about the latest technological advancements in home design. Interestingly, these types of conversations are very easy and exciting to have with people because everyone has unique thoughts about these topics. But amid those conversations about our thriving marketplace, we also live in a society where people are choked up or deflated when the conversation topics shift to birth, death, love, hate, war, and peace.
Pastor Eric’s message this week was a reminder that these deep words in Ecclesiastes to prompt us to consider what our faith is centered on, and namely who my faith is grounded in. In essence, I am reminded of Job whose faith transitioned from a faith of ritualistic proprietary to a faith of sincere desperation. No one would choose to go through the life experiences that Job did. But Job didn’t get a choice and neither do we.
I get a sense the writer in Ecclesiastes is trying to convey in the depth of his own heart that God is never going to leave His beloved creation to sit stagnant and decay. And that is a very beautiful concept for us as the Church. We as the disciples are incrementally sowing lives of resiliency that harvest a united Church that is truly resilient. And as God’s Church, we develop resiliency as we co-labor with Jesus and embrace the change as it comes at us.
There are times when building resiliency is particularly hard, and at its deepest level, it can be severely unjust. It’s in those times we can look at these verses and be reminded that there will also be a time to heal, a time to build up, a time to laugh, a time to dance, a time to speak, and a time for peace.
As we go through seasons that challenge our resiliency and when we find ourselves looking to God in a faith of desperation, we can recall David’s intimate prayer found in Psalm 23, keeping in mind that the Lord is our shepherd who walks with us. And, because He is walking with us in these desperate moments we can center on His promise that we lack nothing.
“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD my whole life long.” Amen Psalm 23
Written by Matt Clay
Matt and his wife Joanna have two young daughters, Emery and Madisen. The Clay’s have been members of the Sheridan community since 2014.
Matt’s spiritual growth has been influenced by the teaching of the late Dallas Willard, which led Matt to pursue an M.A. in Spiritual Formation from Spring Arbor University.
Matt works full-time in the financial industry and believes that God has called him to be a steward of His grace and presence in the marketplace.