Our Time

John 7:6  Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.

Ecclesiastes 3:1     For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:  a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up 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 together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast 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 for war, and a time for peace.  What gain has the worker from his toil?  I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.  He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.  I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;  also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.  I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.

This scripture is written to teach the unsatisfying nature of worldly pleasures and attainments unless God rules the heart and life. The great lesson is “that man’s true wisdom lies in fearing God and looking forward to the judgment.” Do you see how it is describing the different seasons and facets of life. Though there are good things in life, the bad things can’t be escaped. Yet it reminds us of the  of the relentless of life and shows us the need to take full advantage of the time God has given us. Though God has given man a longing for and awareness of eternity, God has not revealed very much about His eternal work. This keeps the yearning for eternity alive in the heart of man as a yet-to-be-fulfilled longing.  We have an awareness but limited understanding, a longing to know but never quite able to grasp.  Our time this side of eternity sometimes does not seem to have purpose.  In reality our purpose is to live this side of eternity with the single purpose of humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying God.  Live happens, don’t let it happen outside of this purpose serving Him with your whole heart, mind and soul.

Wipe away every tear

” He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

“And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.””

Psalms 30:11  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,  that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

2 Chronicles 20:3   Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the LORD,

2 Chronicles 20:12   O our God, will you not execute judgment on them? For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

Isaiah 25:8   He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.

John 16:20   Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.

Revelation 7:14-17   I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  “Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 21:4   He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Ecclesiastes 3:4   a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Jeremiah 31:13-14  Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.  I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, declares the LORD.”

Nehemiah 8:10  And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Psalms 126:5-6   Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!

2 Corinthians 7:10  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.

Luke 6:21-25  “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.  “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man!  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.  “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

There are times to mourn and weep and times to laugh and dance.  Such is life this side of eternity.  We know not when times of mourning and weeping will come but surely they are part of our life.  They hurt and burden our heart to the point of despair.  We are given words of encouragement for both our selves and friends in these times.  We are to mourn with those who mourn and weep with those weeping.  Times of despair seem to occupy everything aspect of our life, it consumes us and we seem to be carrying a burden so heavy it can break us at any moment.  But God gives us hope, our despair will be turned in to joy and praise.  Our tears will be wiped away and the darkness we are in will be turned in to light and our pain will be taken away.  There is joy in the morning.  This joy is found in seeking Him, waiting for Him, trusting Him and calling upon Him.  There is no other with power to lift us out of our despair.