I woke up this morning with the words from Ecclesiastes 3 on my mind, there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. The words of the chapter go on to say .. a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.
It is not often that words of scripture are used to become a number one chart song. One was “By the rivers of Babylon” by Boney M . Another is the song “Turn, Turn Turn” that became a number one hit on 4th December 1965. The words were taken straight from Ecclesiastes Ch 3. It was written by the folk singer Pete Seeger but the hit was recorded by the Byrds. Does anyone else remember it?
These verses are on my mind because someone I know in Ascot passed away two days ago. We all prayed healing from her cancer, but she did not pull through. She worked as a nurse on a cancer ward and helped others through those difficult times, then had to face it herself. I took her two children, who are in their twenties, to Malawi, two years ago, and it is a big shock for them. Around the same time three days ago, I saw a Facebook post of one of the Polish young people I know, whose baby was born, but only just survived the birth. We have all been praying and the baby and mum are pulling through. The baby is recovering from pneumonia.
That line .. there is a time to be born and a time to die becomes very relevant here. I do not believe these scriptures are talking about fate, but are verses that help us with every season in life. How we respond to those changing seasons is very important. There is a time to laugh and a time to cry. I want to be one of those who rises to the changing times and helps others do the same. Learning to praise God in every circumstance that comes our way, is, I think, the key to being able to walk through those changes in peace. I am learning to do that. It may be good to take a moment to thank God that he is carrying us through these seasons in our lives.
