What's the Point? (A Study in Ecclesiastes: Part 1)Sample

The second of the three stops on Q’s quest for wisdom deals with the assumption that wisdom can understand the times and seasons. In some sense, it can. Through wisdom, we can anticipate some of the changes in seasons and generally know what it will mean for our lives. For example, with spring comes rain, flowers, warmer weather, and a time to plant crops. However, wisdom can’t anticipate a late-season frost that kills the crops or some other natural disaster. Similarly, neither the wise nor the foolish can anticipate a time of illness or mourning. Often, these things catch us by surprise and send us reeling. We grasp for something to hold onto. Q begins to hint at his ultimate conclusion, God is truly the only one who knows all the times and seasons and we can rely on Him alone when things happen that we don’t expect.

Ask Yourself: What is your first reaction when a difficult season comes into your life?

Pause to Pray: Ask God to help you turn to and rely on him in all the different seasons of life.

Take the Next Step: Identify which time or season you are in according to the list in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. What do you think God is doing in this season?