unpleasant a season may be, eventually it must change.
Scripture reminds us of this powerful truth in Ecclesiastes 3:1:
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
I like to call this the law of the temporary.
The reality is that every season of your life is temporary. Every situation has an appointed time; therefore, the circumstances surrounding your life today do not necessarily represent what your life will look like tomorrow.
This means that wherever you are in life right now, you must understand that you are in a season.
Your season is not necessarily your destiny.
Your present condition is not necessarily your permanent condition.
Your current chapter is not the conclusion of your story.
Every Season Has an Appointed Time
Ecclesiastes 3:1 teaches us that there is both a season and a time connected to the purposes of life. Ecclesiastes 3:11 adds another important truth:
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.”
Notice the words “in his time.”
Something may not look beautiful while you are going through it. You may not understand why God allowed it. You may wonder why the season has lasted as long as it has. But Scripture reminds us that God sees the completed picture while we are experiencing only one portion of it.
This is why we must be careful not to judge our entire lives based on one difficult season.
Joseph could have judged his life while he was in the pit.
He could have judged his destiny while he was a slave in Potiphar’s house.
He could have concluded that God had forgotten him while he was sitting in prison.
But the prison was not Joseph's final destination. It was simply one season in the process that eventually positioned him for the palace.
The same principle appears throughout Scripture.
David experienced the wilderness before the throne.
Moses experienced the backside of the desert before leading Israel.
Israel experienced Egypt before the Promised Land.
Jesus experienced the cross before the resurrection.
Therefore, never allow a painful season to convince you that God has abandoned His purpose for your life.
Be Careful What You Say During Difficult Seasons
There is another important lesson we must learn.
While seasons change, our attitude and behavior within those seasons matter.
You can unknowingly make an already difficult season more painful by constantly complaining about everything that is wrong. Israel provides us with a powerful warning concerning murmuring and complaining during seasons of transition.
Instead of allowing your mouth to continually rehearse the negativity of your circumstances, begin reminding yourself:
“I know things will get better.”
And then add:
“At some point in all of this, favor will locate me.”
Why?
Because difficult circumstances do not cancel God's ability to favor you.
Joseph had favor even while he was a slave. Genesis 39:3–4 tells us that Joseph found grace in the sight of Potiphar. Later, even while Joseph was in prison, Genesis 39:21 says:
“But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”
Think about that.
Joseph was in an unfavorable place, but the favor of God was still upon his life.
Therefore, never confuse your environment with your spiritual position. You can be experiencing a difficult season and still have the favor of God working behind the scenes.
Ask God for Understanding of Your Season
Wisdom is not merely knowing that seasons exist. Wisdom is discerning which season you are presently in and knowing what that season requires of you.
Ecclesiastes 8:5 says:
“A wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment.”
This principle is beautifully demonstrated in 1 Chronicles 12:32, which speaks concerning the children of Issachar:
“And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do...”
This is powerful.
They did not simply understand the times—they understood what needed to be done because of the times.
That is a wisdom every believer should desire.
There is a time to build and a time to prepare.
There is a time to speak and a time to remain silent.
There is a time to save and a time to release.
There is a time to fight and a time to be still.
There is a time to move forward and a time to wait patiently upon God.
If you misunderstand your season, you can make decisions that work against what God is trying to develop in your life.
Therefore, one of the prayers we should regularly pray is:
“Lord, give me understanding of the times and seasons of my life, and show me what I ought to do.”
Do Not Waste the Season You Are In
Instead of only asking God to remove you from an uncomfortable season, sometimes you should ask:
“Lord, what are You trying to teach me in this season?”
Every season has something to teach you.
Some seasons teach patience.
Some teach discipline.
Some teach humility.
Some teach stewardship.
Some expose wrong relationships.
Some reveal weaknesses in our character.
Some teach us how to trust God when we cannot understand what He is doing.
James 1:2–4 teaches that trials can produce patience and maturity in us. In other words, sometimes God uses what we desperately want to escape to develop something we desperately need.
This is why Romans 8:28 becomes so important:
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
The Scripture does not say that everything that happens to us is good. It says that all things can work together for good according to God's purpose.
That means God can take the pleasant seasons and the painful seasons, the victories and the disappointments, the open doors and the closed doors, and weave them together according to His divine purpose.
Therefore, instead of complaining through every season you dislike, ask God for the wisdom to understand it, the strength to endure it, and the discernment to recognize when that season is changing.
Prepare for Your Next Season
Understanding seasons also means recognizing that your present season should help prepare you for your next one.
Joseph's years of difficulty were preparing him for leadership.
David's wilderness experience was preparing him for kingship.
Moses' years in the desert were preparing him to lead people through a desert.
Your current season may be developing wisdom, discipline, patience, character, or experience that your next season will require.
Therefore, do not despise preparation simply because it is uncomfortable.
Remember the principle:
Your current season is temporary, but what you learn from it can prepare you for what comes next.
So wherever you are today, do not lose hope.
Do not allow what you see presently to convince you that nothing will ever change.
There is “a time to every purpose under the heaven.”
Ask God to give you the understanding of the children of Issachar—to discern the times and know what you ought to do.
Appreciate what God is teaching you today.
Prepare yourself for tomorrow.
And above all, remember:
This season is not forever.
Prayer
Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray that You bless me with the spirit of understanding the times and seasons of my life and, by extension, life as a whole, so that I will appreciate the season that I am presently in and wisely prepare for my next season.
Lord, forgive me for complaining during the seasons I dislike. I am reminded of Your Word in Romans 8:28, which declares that all things work together for good to those who love You and are called according to Your purpose.
Your Word also instructs me in 1 Thessalonians 5:18:
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Therefore, Father, teach me not merely to endure my seasons but to discern them. Give me wisdom like the children of Issachar, who had understanding of the times and knew what Israel ought to do.
Finally, Lord, I embrace both the good and the difficult seasons of my life because I believe that, according to Your divine plan and purpose for my life, You will cause them all to work together for my good.
Give me the wisdom to understand my present season, the patience to endure it, the humility to learn from it, and the discernment to recognize and prepare for the season that is coming next.
I ask all of these things in the name of Your Son and my Savior, Jesus Christ.
Amen!
Pastor Kevin L.A Ewing
www.kevinlaewing.com
www.kevinlaewing.blogspot.com
ewinglakevin@icloud.com
