6:20 PM
To Everything there is a season, and a time
These verses from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 were not new to me. In secondary school, I had joined the school choir, and we had ever sung the song "To everything there is a season" arranged by my conductor. However, this song didn't leave a very strong impression on me.
This arrangement of the biblical verses into song came to me while I was in army camp. I was asking God daily, why after so much consistant and persistant prayer, my prayers were still not answered. I was praying for the salvation of my friends, for my friends to be convicted by God's word and accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. For many years, I had continually witnessed to the people around me, but I think i was showing no fruits. Being discouraged, I was thinking God was ignoring my prayers because i was too sinful or something...
Then one afternoon, as I was doing my quiet time, I stumbled upon these verses from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. As i read through it, a tune was also going through my head... Although some of the Words didn't fit well in the song, but after some alterations here and there, using some words from my ex-conductor's arrangement, I finally managed to piece together my own arrangement of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
It was as though God through a song was giving me an answer to my questions i had been asking him. The question was :"How long O lord, will it take for my friends to accept Christ? Will they ever believe in Jesus? " The answer was "Be Patient - To everything there is a season, and a time, For every purpose under the heaven's, there is a time appointed for all things that happen. In God's own perfect will" ... How better could God have answered than give me a song? I'm thankful to God for his reply because now I have another song to encourage me.
The Lyrics are as follows:
To everything there is a season (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
To everything there is a season,
To everything there is a time,
To every purpose under heaven,
There is a season; There is a time.
A time to live, a time to die;
A time to plant, a time for harvest;
To kill and heal; To wreck and build;
There is a season; There is a time.
A time to cry, a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, a time to dance;
A time to cast away, to bring together;
To be embraced, and to refrain.
A time to find and lose; To keep and give
To tear apart, to mend together;
To keep silent, and to speak;
To love and hate; For war and peace.
To everything there is a season,
To everything there is a time,
To every purpose under heaven,
There is a season; There is a time.
The Actual verses from the bible are:
- To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
- A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which 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 get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
- A time to rend, 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 of war, and a time of peace.
A bit of extra information:
ECCLESIASTES: This, in general, is a pessimistic book -- with statements that history merely repeats itself and nothing is new, and there is no reason to think of what might have been.
Ecclesiastes states that people should enjoy themselves and the fruits of their labors. The pessimism is most pronounced when considering man and animals returning to dust, and not knowing where their spirits go (Ecclesiastes 3:18-21). A few other points:
- "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
- "... to accept his lot and be happy in his work -- this is a gift of God..." (Ecclesiastes 5:19-20)
- "Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite (i.e., dreaming). This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind." (Ecclesiastes 6:9).
- On predestination: "Whatever exists has already been named, and what man is has been known; no man can contend with One who is stronger than he (i.e., can fight with God)." (Ecclesiastes 6:10)
- "...the day of death better than the day of birth." (Ecclesiastes 7:1)
- "...all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun...man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it." (Ecclesiastes 8:17)
- "Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good." (Ecclesiastes 9:18).
- "Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap (i.e, if you want perfection, you won't do anything.)." (Ecclesiastes 11:4).
- "As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things." (Ecclesiastes 11:5)
- "...the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
Sunday, February 18, 2007
