One of my favorite Bible verses is Ecclesiastes 3:11 since it is the source of inspiration for the lovely song, “In His Time.”
We must believe that He has a master plan and sets the right time for everything. God plants His will in our hearts and we must trust Him now and do His work on earth.
In His Time
He makes everything beautiful in His time.
Lord, please show me every day
As you’re teaching me your way
That you do just what you say
In Your time
Copyright 1978-Diane Ball
Two years ago I went on a mission trip with our youth. During the trip I was able to really connect with our youth group for the first time. The time we had there was enjoyable and in my opinion, well-spent. My team and I helped in a café that served food to homeless people every day, and I saw people of every race and age line up to eat. We helped sort tapes in the largest library for the blind in the U.S. There we also met a really extraordinary blind person, who was always optimistic and lived like she had no handicap.
In Daytona we had the time to help others and ourselves. I saw little kids that had nothing, and that had to go home to parents that were abusive and apathetic every day. Ecclesiastes 3:1-3 says “For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven, a time to break down and a time to build up.” For the five days we spent in Daytona, we took the time out of our lives to give aid to those who needed it, and to help them build in faith. We had a fun time on the trip, and I’m glad I went.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote:
Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally my brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned are received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of Peace will be with you. –Philippians 4:4-9
We cannot control many of the forces in our lives, but we need to trust that God is there for us and will help get us through the difficult times. There is a saying, “God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.” Life has its ups and downs, and during the “down” times, we must listen and watch for His presence in our lives. Believe me, He is there! I know because of the many times when I needed Him, He was there and guided me through the difficulties and questions in my life.
Our business is to always pay attention to what is right and what is good, and follow the Lord’s teachings. Life will not always be easy, but we can have peace, if we leave our worries to God and trust in Him to guide us.
Will you love the “you” you hide if I but call your name?
Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same?
Will you use the faith you’ve found to reshape the world around,
Through my sight and touch and sound in you and you in me? –ELW 798, Verse 4
Sing a new song, for the Lord has done marvelous things. –Psalm 98
Indeed God has done mighty deeds, but that should not stop us to realize the marvelous things God continues to do. Inspired by His Word, we must do the same! How exciting it is to be part of a church family that by spreading God’s Word and continuous growth has outgrown its space. This is the time to put our faith into action and give generously to the building program.
Thank you God for this challenge. Your ministry at Christus Victor is alive, exciting and growing. We will sing your praises as we expand our church building and dream and visualize a retreat center in the future. Thanks be to God!
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Will You Come and Follow Me (ELW 798)
God’s call to us doesn’t depend on how we view things. He calls us because of how He views things–and he wants to include us in the plan. Our plans are no where near to what God has in mind for us. We are all connected in the fellowship of believers and this song draws us to follow God’s lead–no matter the circumstances. To open ourselves to the challenge and joy that comes when we say “yes” and leave ourselves behind. Are we willing to risk not being in control in order to let God lead us? Can we plan and then rearrange those plans so that God’s will can be accomplished? Our greatest task is to love, follow, and risk all in order to become part of the great design God has planned. More and more of God, and less and less of self.
Lord, when you call me quicken my heart to immediately say “yes” to the challenge. I am your eyes, ears, and hands–accomplish your will through me. Amen.
For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven, a time to break down and a time to build up. -Ecclesiastes 3:1-3
Which one is it the time now, dear Lord? Is it the time to break down, or the time to build up?
Which one is it the season Lord? Down here in Florida it is so hard to say anyway.
Which one is it the time, Lord? The time to get born, or the time to die?
Look around people? Sings of both times are everywhere in all matter under heaven. As much as we would have loved to say which one is it the time now, it is not for us to know really. But it is for us to pray to God to give us confidence to boldly say: “Now is the Time” Lord to definitely build!
While our global economy is breaking down all over the world, our spiritual strength has been given a prominence to grow to deep depths – to let God live in us and we in him; to follow in His footsteps to move and live and grow in Him and He in us!
Which one is it the time now, Lord? Will you let me answer in prayer… to use the faith we’ve found to reshape the world around, through our sight and touch and sound in you and you in us!
Yes! Definitely the Time is Now to build and let God’s love be shown, let his name be known and let our lives be grown in Him and Him in us – Now is the Time.
For everything there is a season, a time for every matter under heaven, a time to break down and a time to build up. –Ecclesiastes 3:1-3
We all have had our early encounters with time. My friend often tells me a story he still dreams about at night. It is a simple story that has him running to catch his daily commuter train when he was a small boy on his way to school. The problem was that he was often late and used the train tracks as a shortcut to the station. His continuing nightmare is that he gets run over by the approaching train’s locomotive. One of the first things our parents teach us as we grow up is to be punctual–on time! Later in life we look at time as a separate dimension by learning how to plan our days, our lives. There are stationary stores full of “Daily Planners” to help us organize our time and at work or play we find people keeping time of almost everything. An Arabian saying even has it that “Time is like a sword, if you don’t know how to handle it, it will cut you.” All this suggests that we are in control of our time on this earth. But are we really?
What the Great Teacher, the author of Ecclesiastes, wants to tell us is: We are subject to times and changes over which we have little or no control and to think anything different contrasts with God’s eternity and sovereignty. God predetermines all our life’s activities. We gain this insight by faith and faith will enable us to say “Now is the Time” to do God’s work.
We declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. –1 John 1:3-4
“Now is the time”–that’s the new phrase we are adopting at church these days as we begin our capital campaign. So often we wonder what we can do to add joy to our lives and to others’ and to further spread the gospel, and now we have the opportunity to act.
Vince and I have had a variety of church homes over the years because we moved fairly often. One of the most meaningful church families we belonged to was not even affiliated with an organized religion.
When we lived in Torreon, Mexico, for three years, we were truly blessed to be part of an English speaking Christian fellowship. We met weekly in a rented pre-school; our hymnals were cast-offs from a Methodist church in the States; our preachers were those among us who were willing to bring the message to the small group of 25 people. There were no programs to support, nor brick and mortar to maintain, and yet each of us came together joyfully to be in a “communion of saints” and to give glory to God, and the offerings were abundant and generous. The funds collected allowed our small group to support a local orphanage, to build an addition onto a local Baptist church, and to purchase bibles written in Spanish so that women in a tiny community could have access to the Word in a bible of their very own. Those same women showed me around the church that their community was building, and they were so proud of that sanctuary and what it meant for them to have a place to worship so close to their homes.
Here in Bonita Springs, our church life is much more traditional and it is very easy to become complacent in our commitment as disciples. Our situation here is different than it was in Torreon–or is it? Wherever we worship, we are called to witness our faith through support of the local ministries, and sometimes it takes a special group effort to move us from words to actions. Now is the time for us at Christus Victor to reflect on our discipleship and on the way we live and act. Now is the time to give out of gratitude to our generous God.
Be still, and know that I am God. –Psalm 46:10
Be still! Those are very hard words to hear by someone who loves to talk as much as I do. I’m a college professor–I get paid to talk. Be still? How can I be still when I know what I want–what I need? Being the organizer that I am, I can make up my list of things I need, add a “Dear God” at the beginning and an “in your Son’s name. Amen” at the end and call it prayer. Answer my prayers, God. I know what is best!
Be still, and know that I am God. With years of practice, I am finally getting closer to being able to “be still.” But, I can only experience stillness by truly believing the second part of the sentence–”and know that I am God.” Turning my life over to God, trusting in God, and realizing that God is God and doesn’t need my help, causes me to “be still.”
I find that in my stillness, I am able to listen and am open to what God is calling me to do. What a wonderful gift this stillness is!
Dear God, help me be still and listen, especially when my needs are greatest. Help me to appreciate this wonderful gift.
Based on Christian principles, Habitat for Humanity calls together women and men of faith to work together across de-nominational lines, through the theology of the hammer, to build unity as we serve God.
Today, we renew our passion to work toward that day when no child sleeps on a cold floor, who goes without food to pay the rent, or whose whole family lives in one room.
Today is the time to build.
O Lord, challenge us to move outside of our comfort zones, to work together with those who come from different places, speak different languages, have different experiences, but have the same hopes and dreams that we have for our children. Inspire us to build…homes, neighborhoods and community as a reflection of your kingdom where people of all nations and races live in harmony. Bless us in our ministry as we seek to serve you with all that we have, all that we do and all that we dream. Amen.
Rev. Lisa Lefkow is the Director of Development at Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.
