1. Read Eccl. 3:1-8.  Describe Solomon’s view of time in 3:1-8.  Use your own words to describe what he is saying through this poetical section. (It might be more than one thing.)

2. Use no more than ten words to describe the “times”, the season, you are now going through.  Finish the phrase “For me, this is a time to …….”

3. V, 9 might be translated, “In the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does?”  How do you think about the Bible’s teaching that God is in control of everything and, at the same time, that what we do with and decide in our lives makes a real difference?

4. How would you live your life differently if you believed God had no control over what transpires?  How do you deal with the tension of knowing God is in control and yet seeing wickedness in control?

5. What might the Bible mean in verse 11, “God has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what He has done from beginning to end”?  Have you experienced that to be true?

6. After looking at all that human beings involve themselves in, what is Solomon’s recommendation (v.12)?  How would you communicate that to children?

7. How would you counsel people to worship God in the differing seasons of life? Is it possible to find joy in the midst of sickness, to find dependency upon Him in the midst of failing health? Is it possible to be at peace and to trust God in ever-changing circumstances?