Times Are Changing, and God Changes the Times!

“He changes the times and the seasons;

He removes kings and raises up kings” (Dan. 2:21).

The Bible says that life is the same. On the larger scale of history “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc. 1:9). But on a smaller level there are changes. The same book says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to gain, 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 of war, and a time of peace” (Ecc. 3:1-8).

If there is one thing the book of Ecclesiastes teaches, it is that we cannot know what will happen next. “Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?” (Ecc. 6:12). “In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him” (Ecc. 7:14). “For he does not know what will happen; so who can tell him when it will occur?” (Ecc. 8:7). “I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants” (Ecc. 10:7). Solomon also wrote these words: “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Prov. 27:1). Consider these verses the next time you think you are in control.

What we do know is that there will be good times and bad times. But those ups and downs are not predictable or proportionate cycles. The words of Ecclesiastes 3 are not a calendar. They teach that life is a mixture of blessings and adversities, but we cannot say as Joseph in Egypt did that seven years of plenty will be followed by seven years of hunger. We cannot say that the best of times will come after the worst of times. All we know is that we will see both.

Daniel says God changes the times and the seasons. How? He gives us a prime example: “He removes kings and raises up kings.” This is the same book that says “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men” (Dan. 4:17). The hand of God is at work in the world. He can change a government and change the nation. The Lord can bring years of war or years of peace. He can bless a country with prosperity and take it away in an instant. He can turn laughter to tears and tears to laughter. He can turn loss into gain and gain into loss. He can change the weather and He can change your circumstances for reasons only He knows.

If you want to read a book that unfolds how God does this, just read the Bible. We say God is in control. It is time to act like we mean it.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • November 17, 2024