A Time to Live and a Time to Die

The Bible says there is a time for every purpose under heaven. Sometimes in life we can do the right thing at the wrong time and at other times we seem to do the wrong thing at the right time. And if you are like most people these times often clearly outweigh the times when everything just seems to come together and work as it should. A great deal of the mistakes we make in life are not actually mistakes at all but rather the transitional process that God has allowed you to work through to better prepare you for the next great work that He has for you.

As we come through these times which are often difficult, we need to remember that these are not just “transitions” to be gone through, but important times that God desires we use to bring glory to Him and to grow us up. I have found most people when they get in tight situations, they get defensive and belligerent. The interesting thing is that when we take this position we neither glorify God nor do we grow up in ways that we are better for the experience. When we take defensive stances we hurt ourselves, our families, our friends and most of all ourselves through breaking relationship with God (Prov. 22 & 29).

These actions may make us feel better and actually make us less. Have you ever noticed that there are times in life that you think are the very worst, and that later you look back on those times and realize that the stress brought on by transition was actually preparing you for something better and perhaps the very best times of your life.

I had to be dumped by an old girlfriend before I would meet and eventually marry my wife. I had to get fired from a job before I would find a business of my own that prospered. I had to total my old car before God blessed me with a newer one with better gas mileage. Sometimes I find that people by clinging to the people and ways of the past because they are comfortable, actually rob themselves of the blessings and joys that God had planned for them if they would just let go, forgive, seek God and move on (Ecclesiastes 3).

The sovereignty of God is an awesome thing. When we are in a relationship with Christ we can know the assurance of God in these tense, frustrating, and difficult times. We learn through His word, time with Him in prayer and the experiences of life that we can trust Him and that when it looks like everything is coming apart, He is still solidly in control.

Our duty is to be obedient so that God’s will and best is being allowed to be the reality of our lives. Many of our problems lie in not wanting, or refusing to be submissive to His word. We refuse instruction, blame the messenger and crucify his character in order to justify our continued disobedience.

Proverbs 29:17 - 20 says:
Correct your son and he will give you rest,
Yes, he will give delight to your soul

Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint;
But happy is he who keeps the law.

A servant will not be corrected by mere words;
For though he understands, he will not respond.

Do you see a man hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him.

I have also observed that sometimes when we think we are winning we have actually brought destruction on ourselves and our families. And the converse is also true. Sometimes when we think we are at the very bottom and there is no lower that we can go, that we are actually winning and that God is right their seeing us through.

His word is powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. Trust it. Love it. Pray the word and your circumstances back to God. He is listening. He is all powerful. And He cares!