What's the Point of Our Calendars?

What’s the Point of Our Calendars?

Ecclesiastes 3:1-15a

     Let’s think about time today.  The Bible opens by letting us know that God brought time into being. In Genesis 1, we’re told that before there ever was a morning or night to mark the days, God already was.  God isn’t bound by time.  He made it.

     But we’re bound by time. And, the longer I live, the faster I feel like time flies.  Do you know the poem by Dr. Seuss?  “How did it get so late so soon? It’s night before it’s afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”

     The longer I live, the more I agree with Dr. Seuss!

     On the other side, when I was a child, I had many times when time seemed to drag by – as I waited for dinner, for the journey in the car to end (“Are we there yet?”), or for Christmas to come.  It’s like an advertisement that shows Cookie Monster waiting for cookies to get baked:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCbWyYr82BM

     I’ve been told that some people feel Cookie monster felt when they think a sermon seems to be going too long!  But, today, let’s see what the Creator of time says about the times and seasons of our lives in Ecclesiastes 3:1-15.  This is both the most familiar and least understood passage in all of Ecclesiastes. The way it’s put together in the Bible probably by Solomon, whom I think wrote it, is profoundly simple: 

1. Solomon tells us a fact about time that changes everything (3:1).

2. He then describes what this fact is like in our experience though a poem, a work of art (3:2-9).

3. Finally, he applies the fact about time to how we should live our daily lives (3:9-15).

#1: God’s Fact about Time: For everything there is a season and a time for every activity under heaven (3:1).      

     Do you grasp what God’s Word says in this verse?  God says that every part of this world is His world including each second we live each day.  That means there is nothing that happens in your life that catches God unaware.  No situation baffles him.  Nothing that transpires to you is outside God’s control and irrelevant to his purposes.  God knows what he is doing.  He made time and he has a purpose for what happens in time.

     As always in Ecclesiastes, what Solomon will say is about life “under the heavens” or “under the sun”.  But, in this passage, he speaks about the fact that there is a God in the heavens who is in charge of what happens under the heavens.  There is a God who promises to make “everything beautiful in its time” (3:11).

     Like what?

#2: God’s Poetic Description of How We Should Experience Time: A time to… a time for… (3:2-8).

     In these 7 verses, we find a masterpiece of ancient poetry.  I can almost hear you thinking, “But, I don’t like poetry.  I don’t understand poetry.”  And if you think that, then I say this back to you: If you really want to know God, you should learn to understand his poetry.  The entirety of the Psalms, the Song of Solomon, Proverbs and Lamentations is poetry.  A huge percent of the prophetic books, Job and Ecclesiastes is poetry.  I think God must love poetry – so I want you to know how to read it.  Therefore, notice these things in 3:2-8:

• The word “time” is used in v.1 and repeated 28 times in vv.2-8. It covers 14 pairs of descriptions about time – that’s 7 X 2. Because the number 7 is the number in the Bible for perfection, this poem then is God’s perfect poem about time! He wants us to grasp that, in a world in which time is used imperfectly, God knows perfectly well what he is doing -- and what he will accomplish in time.

• The repetitive nature of this poem makes it both memorable as well as beautiful. It gives rhythm to the poem, like the tick and tock of a clock. We read it and realize that God has ordered each part of his world. It’s almost like breathing. “A time for this and a time for that.” Inhale, exhale, inhale…

• The most basic way that Old Testament poetry is constructed is with parallelism: A time to be born -- a time to die… A time for war – a time for peace. I don’t have time (!) to say as much as I would like about this. But, each time you read the poem, you will see in fresh ways how one line is related to and informs the next line. Each time you read it, if you read carefully and prayerfully, you will discover that it communicates something new to you – if… if you take time to hear God’s voice in it.

     Ecclesiastes 3:2-8 is a poem about what has happened to time since sin entered the world. The God who made the world and rules over the world knows what happens in time in his world.  God knows there is death, weeping, mourning, hatred and war. But, it will end in peace.  This is all a part of time – “under the sun”.

     So, notice the last word in God’s poem in v.8, i.e., “peace”.  It’s the Hebrew word “shalom”.  What you should begin to recognize when you read the poem from beginning to end is that there is weeping, pain, hatred and war in the times and seasons of this world – but it all will ultimately end in God making everything right.  The God who made time is still at work in time in such a way that, when he’s done, a kingdom of shalom will reign.  The poem declares that all the evil in this fallen world will not thwart Good’s plan.  God even uses realities like death to bring about his salvation.  This poem calls you to believe that this is true.  Even while you and I spend our time “under the sun”, we are called to live in trust of the God who is over the sun.

     Verse 1 sets the stage for the rest of the poem.  It describes the whole of your life (and mine).  “Under the sun”, you and I have “a time to be born and a time to die.” From that beginning, Solomon tells us about what happens between birth and death: planting & reaping, breaking down & building up, weeping & laughing, holding on to things & letting them go, keeping our mouths shut & speaking out, etc. etc.  The one who wants to please God and live wisely asks, “What time is it for me, Lord?  What would you have me to do now?” 

     I’ll tell you this:  The more you meditate on God’s poem, the more you will see it speaks to every moment of your life.  For example, this is Memorial Day weekend here in the USA.  We remember that many people gave their lives in our nation’s history so that we might experience the kind of freedom to worship that we are experiencing this moment.  Does this poem say anything to us about that today? 

   It tells us that killing and war were not a part of the Garden of Eden when there was no sin in the world.  But now, “under the sun”, do you think there “a time to kill and a time to heal”? Is there “a time for war and a time for peace”? Are such things purposeless?  Do they thwart God’s plan to bring about shalom?  Surely, killing and war often are senseless in our fallen world.  They often are excuses for evil people to exert personal power and are done out of evil motives.  But, God’s Word says that there are “times” – times “under heaven” when things like war will happen and will be used by God ultimately to bring about shalom.  Do you believe Him?

     So, God is in charge of every matter under heaven.  He is working out his plan in good times and bad: in times of birth and death, of mourning and laughter, of love and hate.  He wants you to know him, to live a life of faith in him – until his work is done and peace/shalom reigns.

     But, I must admit one thing now:  As I read this poem over and over the past week, I found myself saying, “Lord, I think I understand a lot about this poem but I feel unsettled about it too.  I still can’t understand some of the mourning and pain in the times of our world.”  Those of you who have lost children as Chris and I have must sometimes wonder as we do about what God is doing. Just look at our world -- at what’s happening in the political campaigns in our own country, in the refugee crisis in the Middle East and in Europe, in the lives of families who are homeless.  I sometimes feel like the disciples who said to Jesus, “Please don’t tell any more stories.  Just explain to us what they mean to our lives.”  I’ve prayed, “Lord, explain to us what your poem says about how we should live in these difficult times under the sun.”

     And, God speaks about that in vv. 9-15.

#3: God’s Explanation of How We Should Be Stewards of Time -- Whatever God does endures… (3:9-15).

     This section opens in v.9 with the question that people have always asked and still do ask when a message like this is proclaimed: “If God is in control of every matter under heaven, what difference does anything I do make?”  If you’re asking that, then you join people throughout all of history and throughout the entire world who have asked and still ask that question.  If God controls everything, is every moment a matter of fate?  Is there a “god” or some kind of force that determines everything.  If so, what difference does my life make?

     Solomon teaches in these verses that we who believe in the God of the Bible do not resign ourselves to fate.  On one side, God tells us that he is in control of every activity under heaven and promises to bring to completion what he has started.  That’s why we always have hope.  At the same time, God tells us he is personal and interacts meaningfully with people made in his image.  Throughout the Bible, God tell us that our decisions really matter.  For example, the Bible says you must decide to believe in Jesus.  You must decide whether to abide in Christ or to walk away.  You must make real decisions about whether to obey God or to engage in sin. 

     So, how should we live in this world knowing that God is here and wants us to trust him and obey him?   In vv. 9-15, you read about several ways that God’s Word says all this should change your life:

#1: Learn to live in your time with a reliance on the God who is not bound by time but is nonetheless involved in time.  I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.On one side, he is making everything beautiful in its time. On the other, he has set eternity in the human heart. Yet no human being can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (3:10-11).

     In these verses, we find one of the main ways the Bible calls people to seek God.  What Solomon is saying in these profound verses is that, ever since sin entered the world, people find it hard to grasp how God uses things like weeping, mourning and war to make things beautiful.  People wonder how there can be a God who allows things like pain and death at all.  And, they find it hard to see how God could ever take the ashes of this world and bring beauty out of it. Bottom line:  The pain of this world makes no sense to those who don’t know that God is working out a plan to bring peace to people and to the world.

     At the same time, God has put “eternity in our hearts”. That means that human beings know intuitively that there must be more than just a material world “under the sun.” Made in the likeness and image of God, we have a conviction in our inner beings that plants and animals don't have. People have a deep sense that there is more to live for than we can find only in things in this material world.

     But, God says, even though we have eternity inside our hearts, we human beings still can’t make sense out of the world on our own.  If we have no relationship to God, life remains a mystery to us.  So, people without a knowledge of God live in the world under the sun made to know God but without a relationship to God. As Solomon says here, on our own and without God’s revelation, we cannot grasp what God is doing from beginning to the end.

     The way I read Ecclesiastes, I sense God is calling us to know that there simply must be a God like God reveals himself to be in the Bible.  There is a God who knows us and is ready to enter into life with us.  There is a God who is ready and able to help us make sense out of life.  This is, of course, the God made known to us in Jesus.  When we trust Jesus, we are “born again” – we’re made alive to the eternal God who has put eternity in our hearts.

     So, today I call you, as I so often call you, to live life recognizing that God is with you – in every season and every moment of your life.  I call you to believe in Jesus as your savior and to follow him – to walk with him day by day.  When you do, you will find that, whatever time it is in your life, God is still in there and is in control.  Learn to pray as David prayed in Psalm 31:14,15: “I trust in you, Lord. My times are in your hand.”  It’s a little bit like flying on a commercial plane.  You may not see the pilot but you learn trust in his ability to bring you home. 

     Let me tell you how I have experienced this kind of day-by-day presence of God in my life.  I have often had times when I knew deep down that God had called me to do something – but I didn’t want to do it.  (I confess that this has happened far too often.)  I’ll tell you about one of them.  When I lived in Germany, I was invited to be a part of a concert in Kiel in Northern Germany.  I knew that the pastors of the churches there didn’t want us to come. They openly said they didn’t like “evangelicals”. The pastors only invited us because a small group of believing young adults pestered them until they did.   So, I had said “no” to the invitation.  But the leader of our team said yes.  Then, at the last minute, he backed out himself and told me that I had to go with our pianist and guitarist. 

     So, I didn’t want to do it -- but, deep in my heart, I knew this was a time appointed by God.  I went.  As we drove to Kiel from Hamburg, I was a grouch.  I complained.  I was not at peace because I did not really trust that God could do more than I could ever ask or imagine.  But God did.  God did more.  During that concert, there was an outpouring of God’s Spirit. Many people came to faith.  Even one pastor, moved by God’s Spirit, committed himself to God.   People there have remained these many years in their faith.

     God knew what he was doing.  I could not see it.  When you give your life to God through faith in Jesus, you are making a decision to do life with the eternal God who made time and is making everything beautiful in his time – even when you don’t see it.  I want you to learn to live each moment of your life being assured of that.

#2: Learn to be content – even to find joy -- in all your times: I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil -- this is the gift of God.I know that everything God does will endure forever (3:12-14a).

     The Bible is saying that there is a potential for “happiness” (v.12) and “satisfaction” in all times in our lives – when we receive them as a gift from God and trust him to do his work.  As the Apostle Paul wrote from a prison in Philippians 4, we can find contentment and joy in this imperfect world when we know that all times and activities are in God’s hand (Phil 4:4-13).It takes faith to believe that.  It demands that your relationship with God is one of trust, i.e., that you trust that the life he gives you is better than the life you would choose for yourself.  It means that you and I can find contentment and joy in those times when things seem to be breaking down as well as in those times when everything is building up; in those times in which we get to keep the things we cherish and in times when we must give them up.

     This is such an important word for parents whose children are getting ready to go to kindergarten or off to college. I remember how hard it was for Chris when our first child went off to kindergarten. She didn’t want to lose those days together with her little girl.  And I remember how hard it was for me when that same little girl went off to college and then got married.  I wanted things to stay the way they had been.  Chris kept saying, “Try to imagine what life would be like for her or for us if we kept holding on and trying to live life the next 30 years they way they have been up to now.”  “There is a time to keep – and a time to let go.”

     This is an equally important word for those of you going through any kind of transition: graduating from university, looking for a new job, or retiring. A few weeks ago, I was at Trustee meetings at Wheaton College.  We celebrated the accomplishments of two men who had served well for many decades.  The president said so poignantly, “All seasons are in the hands of God.  There is a time to take up and a time to let go.  A time to begin and a time to end. All those times can be beautiful when we know God is in control for we know that he is making all things beautiful in its time.”

     Bottom Line: God is in charge of everything -- birth and death, laughing and weeping, war and peace. Nothing happens under the sun without His consent. This is what Solomon had discovered and what the Bible confirms on every page.  This means you can trust Him. You can trust he has forgiven your sins -- even when you still feel guilt or shame. You can trust God is with you all the time -- even when you feel alone. You can trust your children to Him -- even when you've made a mess of their upbringing.  Best of all, you can trust Him to bring about peace, even to come again and set things right I this world -- even when the world says he isn't doing that or that he cannot do it.

There is a time for everything,     and a season for every activity under the heavens (3:1).

God makes everything beautiful in its time (3:11).

   Whatever God does, lasts forever… (3:14).

時間的意義

傳道書3：1-15

今天，我們來思考一下關於時間的主題。聖經一開始就把時間引入世界。創世紀第一章告訴我們，在早晨和晚上成為一天的標誌之前，神就已經存在了。神不受時間的限制，祂創造了時間。

但是，我們是受時間限制的。我的年紀越長，就感覺時間過得越快。你聽過蘇斯博士的這首詩嗎？“怎麽這麽快就這麽晚了？還沒到下午就到晚上了。六月之前就到十二月了。天啊，時間如何飛逝得這麽快。怎麽這麽快就這麽晚了？”

我年紀越長，就越是贊同蘇斯博士。

然而在孩提時代，我記得有很多次，我都感覺到時間過得特別慢，當我等著晚餐的時候，在車裏度過漫漫長途的時候（不停地問“我們到了沒有？”），或者等待聖誕節來臨的时候，就像這個餅幹怪獸等著餅幹烤好的廣告一樣：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCbWyYr82BM

有人告訴我，當他們覺得講道太長的時候，他們就感受到餅幹怪獸的感覺。但是今天，讓我們一起來看看，時間的創造者在傳道書3：1-15中，是怎樣解讀時間和我們人生階段的。在傳道書中，這段經文是最熟悉、同時也是最難理解的。我認為它的作者是所羅門，他將這一切總結得既簡潔又深刻：

1.         所羅門告訴我們一個事實，那就是時間改變一切（3:1）

2.         接著，他以一首詩來描述我們生活之中的這個事實（3：2-9）

3.         最後，他藉著這個關於時間的事實，告訴我們應當如何過每天的生活（3:9-15）。

第一：神對於時間的解讀 :凡事都有定期，天下萬務都有定時（3：1）

            你明白神在這節經文中的意思嗎？祂說，這個世上的每個部分都屬於祂，包括我們生命的每一天每一秒。也就是說，在你的生命中所發生的任何事，神都知道。沒有任何狀況會阻止祂。你生命中發生的任何事情，都不會在神的掌控之外，也不會與祂的定規無關。神知道祂在做什麽。祂創造了時間，也對在時間之內所發生的一切都有計劃。

            所羅門在傳道書中常說到“天下”或者“日光之下”的生活。但是，在這段經文中，他說到，在天上有一位神，掌管著天下所發生的一切。這位神應許我們，祂要使萬物都各按其時，成為美好（3：11）.

第二：神用詩的語言來描述我們應當如何經歷時間：……有時……有時（3:2-8）

            在這七節經文中，我們看到了一首出色的古詩。我幾乎可以聽到你在想：“但是我不喜歡詩。我讀不懂詩。”如果你這樣想，那麽我要這樣回答你：假如你真的想要認識神，你就要學著理解祂的詩。詩篇，雅歌，箴言和耶利米哀歌都是神的詩歌。因此我希望大家能夠知道如何去讀懂它。請留意3:2-8中

提到的這些事：

•          “時間”這個字在第一節中出現，又在2-8節中重復了28次。它包含了14對關於時間的描述，也就是7乘2，因為在聖經中，7這個數字代表完美。那麽，這首詩就是神所寫的一首關於時間的完美之作! 祂希望我們能了解這一點。在這個無法完美使用時間的世界裏，神非常明確地知道自己在做什麽，以及祂在時間之內所要成就的。

•          這首詩之中的重復部分使它既容易記憶又文辭美麗。整首詩歌節奏整齊，像鐘表的滴答聲。讀過之後，我們會發現，在神的世界裏，一切都完美有序。就像呼吸，“這個有時，那個有時。”吸氣，呼氣，吸氣……

•          舊約詩歌的一個最基本的特點就是排比：生有時，死有時……爭戰有時，和平有時。我沒有時間列舉這些。但是，每當讀到這些詩歌，你就會清楚地看到每一行詩句是如何承上啟下的。如果你每次認真地、帶著禱告的心來讀，你就會發現，它每次都向你傳遞著新的信息 ---- 如果你能每次仔細傾聽神在其中的聲音。

傳道書3：2-8描述了自從罪進入世界之後所發生的事。創造和掌控世界的神知道

在祂的世界中、在時間之內所發生的一切。神知道，會有死亡，哭泣，悲傷，仇恨和戰爭。但是，這一切都會在平安中結束。這些都是時間的一部分，都在“日光之下”。

            請留意第八節的最後一個字，“和平”。在希伯來原文中是“平安”之意。在從頭到尾讀這首詩的時候，你應該註意到，在時間之內，世上有哭泣、痛苦、仇恨和戰爭，然而最終，一切都將在神裏面成為美好。創造時間的神仍在作工，當祂的工作完成時，一個平安的國度就將掌權。這首詩宣告說，在這個墮落的世界裏，任何的罪惡都無法阻止神的計劃。神甚至使用死亡帶來救恩。這首詩呼召你相信這是真實的。即使你我在“日光之下”生活，我們也要藉著相信那位在“日光之上”的神而活。

            第一節為這首詩余下的部分設置了背景。它描述了你我全部的生活。在“日光之下”，你和我都是“生有時，死有時”。一開始，所羅門就告訴我們在生與死之間將會發生的一切: 栽種，拔出，拆毀，建造，保守，舍棄，靜默，言語等等。那些想要討神喜悅、並明智地生活的人會問：“主啊，什麽時候才是我的時候？你現在要讓我做什麽？”

            我會這樣告訴你：你越多默想神的詩歌，就越會發現，它在你生命中的每個時刻都會對你講話。比如，我們這個周末是國殤日，為要紀念那些在歷史中犧牲了自己的生命、讓我們可以經像現在這樣自由敬拜的人們。這首詩在今天有沒有對我們講話？

            它告訴我們說，當罪沒有進入世界的時候，殺戮和戰爭不是伊甸園的一部分。然而在當今的時代，你認為在“日光之下”，會不會“殺戮有時，醫治有時”？會不會“爭戰有時，和好有時”？這些事情是否都毫無目的？他們是否能阻止神帶來平安的計劃？當然，在一個墮落的世界裏，殺戮和戰爭常常都變得無知無覺。它們常常都是惡人出於邪惡的目的，而行駛自己權力的理由，但是神說，任何事情都有它的“時候”，包括在“天下”會有戰爭的時候，神也會最終從這一切帶來平安。你相信祂嗎？

            因此，神掌控天下一切的事物。無論得時不得時，祂的計劃都得以實施: 在生與死、悲傷和歡樂、愛與恨的時候。祂想讓你認識祂，在祂裏面過信心的生活，直到祂的工作得以成就，平安執掌王權之時。

            然而，我必須要承認一件事：上一周，當我反復讀這首詩的時候，我發現自己說，“主啊，我認為我很了解這首詩，但是我也感覺到有些不解。我仍然無法理解這世上的一些悲傷和痛苦。”如果你們曾經像我和克麗絲一樣失去孩子，你肯定會想，神在做什麽？看看我們世界，看看我們國家近來的政治選舉，中東和歐洲的難民危機，無家可歸的那些家庭的生活，有時候，我會想要像那個門徒那樣，對耶穌說：不要再跟我們用比喻，就直接告訴我們，這一切都有什麽意義。我曾經這樣禱告說：“主啊，求你向我們解釋，我們應當如何按照你的詩裏所說的，在日光之下、在艱難的時候生活。

            神在9-15節中談到了這一點。

第三：神告訴我們應當如何管理時間–神所做的一切都必永存... (3:9-15).

第9節一開始就提出了一個問題，這是人們常問的問題，即使是現在，在看到這樣信息的時候也仍然會問：“如果神掌控天下一切事務，那麽我所做的一切會有什麽影响呢？”如果你有這個疑問，那麽你就是歷史上所有問這個問題的人們之中的一員。如果上帝控制一切，那麽是否人生的每一刻都是命運使然？是否有一個“神”或某種力量在決定著一切？如果是這樣，我的生命會有什麽影響？

        在這幾節經文中，所羅門教導我們，相信聖經裏所講之神的人不會聽天由命。一方面，神告訴我們，祂掌控一切的事物，並應許我們，祂必然成就祂所開始的工作。正因如此，我們永遠都有希望。同時，神也告訴我們，祂與按祂形象所造的人，有著親密的關系。在整本聖經中，神都告訴我們，我們的決定很重要。例如，聖經說，你必須要決定相信耶穌。你必須要決定自己是要遵從耶穌，還是要悖逆祂。你必須真正地決定，是要順服神還是要進入罪中。

因此，我們如何在生活中明白，神與我們同在，並且祂想要我們信靠和順服祂? 在9-15節中，說到以下幾種改你生命的方式：

第一：在你的生活中，要學會依靠那不受時間限制但卻參與時間之中的神。我見神讓世人勞苦，使他們在其中受經煉。神造萬物，各按其時成為美好，又將永生安置在世人心裏。然而神從始至終的作為，人不能參透。（3：10-11）

在這些經文中，我們看到聖經呼召人們尋求神的一個主要方法。所羅門在這些經文中所表達的深刻含義是，自從罪進入了世界，我們就很難理解，神是如何使用哭泣，哀慟和戰爭使世界變得美好的。我們不知道神如何能夠從這個世界的灰燼之中帶出美好。人們很難在這樣的事情上相信神。對於那些不知道神最終是為要在世上帶來和平的人們來說，這個世界的痛苦是沒有意義的。

與此同時，神已經把“永恒放入我們心中”。這意味著我們憑直覺知道，世上肯定不僅僅存在著在“日光之下”的物質世界。我們有著神的形象和樣式，我們在內心深處的信念，是植物和動物所沒有的。人類深深地相信，除了物質世界之外，我們還能找到更多為之活著的意義。

但是，神說，即使有永恒在我們的心裏，人類仍然無法自己參透萬事。如果我們與神沒有關系，人生對我們仍舊會是一個謎。因此，如果一個人不認識神，那麽他在日光之下的生活，就與神毫無關系。就像所羅門在這裏所說的，如果沒有神的啟示，光靠我們自己，那麽我們從始至終都無法理解神的作為。

在我讀傳道書的時候，我感覺神在呼召我們，讓我們認識到，真的有一位聖經中所說的自我啟示的神。有一位神，祂認識我們，也準備好進入我們的生命之中。有一位神，祂願意、也能夠幫助我們了解生命的意義。當然，這一位神就是在耶穌裏啟示我們的神。當我們信靠耶穌的時候，我們就得到了“重生”，那位將永恒放入我們心中的神，使我們活在永恒的神面前。

因此今天，我呼籲大家，在你的生命中要知道，神與你同在，祂每時每刻都與你同在。所以，要學習祂的話語，跟隨祂的引導。也就是說，無論你的生命處於何種時期，神依然掌權。要學習大衛在詩篇31：14-15中那樣的禱告：“耶和華啊，我仍舊倚靠你，我終身的事在你手中。”這有點像坐飛機，你可能看不見飛行員，但是你必須要相信，他有能力帶你回家。

            讓我和你分享一下我的經歷。我常常在內心中知道神呼召我做某些事情，但是我並不想去做。(我承認，這種情況經常發生)。我想和你分享其中的一件事。當我住在德國的時候，有人邀請我去參加一個音樂會，在德國北部一座名叫基爾的城市。我知道，那些教會的牧師們不想讓我們去。他們公開說，他們不喜歡“福音派”的人。那些牧師邀請我們去，是因為有幾個年輕人在他們之前牧養過那個教會。因此，我拒絕了他們的邀請。但是我們團隊的輔導答應去了。結果到了最後，他自己不去了，但是卻讓我、我們的司琴和吉他手一定要去。

            我不想去，但是我內心知道，這是神所定的時候，所以我就去了。在我們從漢堡鎮驅車前往基爾的路上，我滿腹牢騷和抱怨，沒有平安，因為我沒有真正地相信，神所做的，能超過我所求所想。然而神的確如此。祂所做的遠超於此。在那個音樂會期間，神的靈充滿全場，許多人決誌信主。甚至有一位牧師，因著聖靈的感動，重新委身於神。那些人多年來都保持著他們的信心。

            神知道祂所做的一切，盡管我無法看見。當你藉著耶穌的信心將生命交托給神的時候，你就已經做了決定，要靠著那永恒之神而活，就是那位創造時間，並且在祂的時間之內使一切都成為美好的神 ---- 即使你無法看到。我希望你在生命中的每一刻，都能學習認識這一點。

第二：學會滿足，在任何時候都能尋到喜樂：我知道世人，莫強如終身喜樂行善。並且人人吃喝，在他一切勞碌中享福。這也是神的恩賜。我知道神一切的作為，都必永存。（3：12-14a）。

聖經說，在我們生命中的任何時候，我們都會有“幸福”（12節）和“滿意”的潛能，因這是神所賜給我們的禮物，並使我們相信祂會做祂的工。正如使徒保羅在監獄中寫下的腓立比書第四章中所說的，當我們知道，所有的時間和活動都在神的手中，我們就能夠在這個不完美的世界裏得到滿足和快樂（腓4：4-13）。我們需要有信心才能相信。你與神之間必須是信任的關系，也就是說，你相信祂所給你的生活，是比你自己去選擇的生活更為美好。這就意味著，無論在一切被打碎還是被建造之時；無論是我們能保留我們心愛之物，還是必須放棄的時候，你和我都仍然可以在其中找到滿足和快樂。

這些話無論對那些孩子正準備去幼兒園的父母，還是孩子準備離家上大學的父母來說，都是非常重要的。我仍然記得，當我們的第一個孩子要離開家，去上幼兒園的時候，克麗絲有多難過。她不想失去那些與她的小女兒共同度過的無數個美好的日子。我也記得，當那個小女孩去上大學，然後結婚的時候，我是多麽的難過。我希望一切都不要改變，克麗絲說，“我們還是想象一下，如果未來的三十年一切都不改變，那麽我們或者她的生活會如何呢？”“保留有時，放手有時。”

對於在座的面臨生活轉折的人來說，這些話也同樣重要，無論你是要大學畢業，尋找新的工作，還是你即將退休。幾個月之前，我在惠頓學院參加理事會議。我們在慶祝兩位服事了幾十年的弟兄所取得的成就。主席很尖銳地說：“所有的時期都在神的手裏。擔負有時，放手有時；開始有時，結束有時。如果我們知道，神在掌控一切，這一切的時候就都是美好的，因為我們知道，神創造萬物，各按其時，成為美好。

在3:2-13中，神的話語告訴我們，今天是神所賜的禮物。祂將今天賜給你，不是為了讓你以煩惱和失望去填充它。祂不想讓你每一天都在希望，未來的某一天會有更好的事情降臨。今天就是那個某一天。那臨到你的事物，就是神所賜給你的。所以，不要咽下漢堡又希望有牛排。享受你的漢堡。所羅門不僅僅在說，“享受生活並沒有錯誤”，他的意思是，沒有比享受神所賞賜的一切更美好的了。

            神掌管萬有 ---- 生與死，歡笑與哭泣，戰爭與和好。在日光之下所發生的一切都有祂的默許。這就是所羅門所發現的，也就是聖經的每一頁都在強調的。

            今天，我要給你的信息是，神掌管著你人生的每個季節，也就是說，你可以信靠祂。你可以相信，祂赦免了你的罪，哪怕你仍然覺得愧疚。你可以相信，神所有的時刻都與你同在，即使在你感覺孤單。你可以將孩子們交托給祂，哪怕你在他們成長的路上有失敗之處。最美好的是，你可以相信，祂能帶來平安，祂會再來，使世上的一切都改變，成為美好，哪怕世界說祂無法做到。

            一切都各按其時，

            天下萬務都有定時（3:1）

            神使萬務各按其時，成為美好（3:11）

            神一切所作的，都必永存（3：14）

榮耀歸給神，

Greg Waybright 博士

主任牧師

祂的荣耀，

格雷格Waybright博士
主任牧師

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Greg Waybright • Copyright 2015, Lake Avenue Church