Ecclesiastes 3:1 Deep Dive // Why God Allows Different Seasons in Your Life

Why do difficult seasons exist? And what is God doing in them?

📖 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." — Ecclesiastes 3:1

Today's Episode: Natalie Abbott takes a deep dive into Ecclesiastes 3 and helps us understand one of the Bible's most well-known—and often misunderstood—verses. While this passage is often quoted as a source of comfort, its original context is surprisingly honest about life's hardships, disappointments, and uncertainties.

Natalie walks us through the wisdom literature of Scripture, explains the unique message of Ecclesiastes, and shows how God's goodness shines through even the most difficult seasons. You'll be encouraged to trust God's timing, rest in His sovereignty, and remember that He is making everything beautiful in its time.

Whether you're walking through grief, uncertainty, transition, joy, or celebration, this episode will remind you that God is present in every season and faithfully working all things toward His good purposes.

This Month's Memory Verse
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."
📖 Ecclesiastes 3:1

Memorize Scripture with Us
Discover the easy button for Scripture memory through Dwell Differently's resources - https://dwelldifferently.com/

Resources from Today's Episode
Women of the Word by Jen Wilkin - https://crossway.org/womenofthewordbook
All of Me by Cheryl Marshall - https://bit.ly/DDAllofMe

Transcript

0:00:00 - (Natalie Abbott): Foreign. Welcome back to the Dwell Differently podcast. I'm Natalie Abbott, and today we are doing a teaching episode. So we're going to really dive deep into the scripture that we're memorizing and meditating on as a community. It's from Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verse 1. It says there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. And it is sort of this, like, beautiful consolation of like, yeah, yeah, I see that that is true in my life.

0:00:35 - (Natalie Abbott): And yet it's. If we put this verse in its context, it is not a warm and fuzzy verse. It's kind of like this almost brutal reality of, you know, there are hard seasons that we go through. There are things that we. We experience as people and as. As believers in Jesus that are really difficult. And so it's going to tackle some of that for us. But in order to really understand what this verse is about and how we should interpret it and understand it, we've got to put it in its context. So we're going to do two things today. We're going to look at the original context of this verse, and then we're going to see what this verse is saying to us. And hopefully it will give us the solace that we're looking for, especially when we go through difficult seasons, that we wouldn't become jaded, that we wouldn't become skeptical, but that we would be humble and acknowledge that, yes, there are always going to be hard seasons, but there are also beautiful seasons, and that God is the one who makes everything beautiful in its time. So that's where we're headed.

0:01:42 - (Natalie Abbott): But before we get there, we've got to stop off at what is wisdom literature? How do we read this verse? So wisdom literature in the Bible is mainly Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job. And Proverbs is sort of this, like, wise way of living that generally it's giving you these general truths that if you are a righteous person, then things will go well for you. For instance, like a familiar proverb would be, train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not wander from it.

0:02:15 - (Natalie Abbott): So that idea isn't a promise. It's a general truth. It's saying generally when kids that are raised well are going to follow in the ways that they have been raised. However, we know from reality that this isn't always true, that these proverbs may be generally true, but sometimes the flip thing happens, and that's what Ecclesiastes does for us. It sort of says well, what, what then? What then? When the world doesn't always work like that.

0:02:47 - (Natalie Abbott): So what then? And that's where we're going to find ourselves today. And then finally, the book of Job is sort of this case in point. If you're not familiar with the story of Job. He's a man who is righteous, who goes through all kinds of horrible and hard, difficult things. And he's sort of the case in point of what then? But today we're talking about Ecclesiastes. And in order to understand how the book is structured, you have to think about the fact that there are kind of two people who are talking. First off, we have the author of the book and he sort of gives us this introduction and this conclusion.

0:03:21 - (Natalie Abbott): And then you have the teacher. And the teacher is presenting to us this kind of glass half full, no, sorry, glass half empty version of the world of like the what then? The flip side of the coin. What happens when we do everything right and we receive not what we had hoped for? What happens when we follow the Lord and we experience hardship? So this is kind. It's kind of a gritty book and it's. It's really difficult to understand.

0:03:48 - (Natalie Abbott): So that's why I'm kind of walking you through this on a deeper level. So the author introduces the teacher, and it's really helpful to know. And then the teacher points out that everything in life is. The word in Hebrew is hebel, which means vapor. A lot of times it's translated meaningless. A lot of times it's translated vanity. But the idea is that it's like smoke that seems like something that you could see for a minute, but then it evaporates if, if you try to grab a hold of it.

0:04:18 - (Natalie Abbott): So it's, it's. And he also says many times that not only is. Is life heavel or vapor, but that when we chase after the things that the. The world offers us, it's, it's. It's like chasing after the wind. So he's saying this. The skeptic or the teacher is saying, I want you to see how life actually works, our experience of it. And he kind of. There's kind of three main points that he makes. One, life is short and you will be forgotten. In 1982, Billy Graham famously said, when he was 64 years old, he was asked what his greatest surprise in life was. And he said, the brevity of life. He said, if someone had told me when I was 20 years old that life was very short and would pass just like that, I wouldn't have believed it.

0:05:07 - (Natalie Abbott): So this is, this is sort of this like, wake up call of, hey, life is short. It is a vapor. It is, it is here in the morning and then the sun burns it off. And then the second thing that he talks about is how death comes for all of us, which is kind of related. But he makes this point of like, whether you're rich or you're poor, whether you're powerful or powerless, no matter where you are, if you're a human or an animal, death comes for everybody.

0:05:35 - (Natalie Abbott): So again, it's kind of this like, definitely glass, half empty, negative type of seeing things. And then finally he says, life doesn't always go as planned. Here's a verse that he explains this. He says, I have seen something else under the sun. The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned. But time and chance happen to them all.

0:06:02 - (Natalie Abbott): So again, you're looking at the negative side of the coin of what, what, what happens when bad things happen to good people, when we do everything that we should and yet our life is still taken from us because death is coming for all of us. So again, you maybe have a friend like this who's sort of the wamp, wamp person in your life. But the reality is that when the author gives his conclusion, he says the teacher is right.

0:06:33 - (Natalie Abbott): Yes, these things are true. And you know what? They hit hard. He likens what the teacher says to a goad, which a shepherd would use to like, prod cattle. Think of cattle prods, like sharp, pointy, it's going to hurt you. But he's saying these things are true and good for you to know. Let them poke you in the right direction. So in the same way as Proverbs gives you this, like, positive encouragement, you should also let these, these hard teachings poke you and push you in the right direction.

0:07:07 - (Natalie Abbott): It's kind of, it's kind of a rebuke really to say, hey, you getting your life wrapped up in all the things and riches and, and success and all these things. Like, remember though, that your life is so short. Remember that life doesn't always go as planned, that we are not in control of all things. And so in his conclusion, the author says this. Now all has been heard. Here is the conclusion of the matter.

0:07:35 - (Natalie Abbott): Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment. Think justice, that he's going to make all things right, including every hidden thing. Whether it is good or evil. So the conclusion is fear God or revere God, keep his commands, do what is right, and that God will bring about real and final justice in the end. That maybe in this lifetime you're not going to see the resolution of all things. We're not going to. Every evil isn't going to be addressed right now.

0:08:13 - (Natalie Abbott): But eventually God will bring every deed into judgment, every hidden thing, even whether good or evil. So those are the things that we can use sort of as anchors as we now move into this transition of how do we read this specific verse? So in that understanding, it's not a warm and fuzzy verse. It's saying there is a time for everything. Not just the good things, but the hard things, but the. But the bad things. There's a season for every activity under the heavens. And so I'm going to just read you some of those.

0:08:53 - (Natalie Abbott): I'm actually read you all of what he says. So he goes into this. This explanation of what those seasons look like. They look like different emotions. They look like different experiences that we have as people. And he's saying that there is a right season for those things. There is a time when those things will happen, and there's a season for them. And then he's going to give us this beautiful concluding paragraph after this beautiful little poem to help us in our minds understand what all of this means.

0:09:27 - (Natalie Abbott): So it says. He says there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. And I would encourage you, as you think about this and think about what seasons you're in, some of these are going to stand out to you and be like, yes, that's the kind. Kind of season that I'm in right now. I'm in a season of uprooting, or I'm a season of healing, or I'm in a season of embracing, or I'm in a season of not embracing, of.

0:09:51 - (Natalie Abbott): Of war, of. Of. Of hard things, of throwing away things. So I just want you to hear these things and consider what are. What season are you in right now? And. And my hope would be, after we talk about these different ways that we can understand this, that it would give you solace in whatever season you're in. And you might be in kind of halfway in. One foot in one type of a season and one foot in another season. One part of you is feeling deep sadness and another part of you is celebratory.

0:10:23 - (Natalie Abbott): So however it is, and there's a lot of in betweens, they're giving you sort of the two ends of the spectrum and so listen for the two ends and maybe think I'm somewhere in the middle of that. And that's okay too. We all know spending time in God's Word matters, but sometimes it's hard to know where to start. Busy schedules, frustrations, or not knowing how to study the Bible can make it hard to stay consistent.

0:10:48 - (Natalie Abbott): That's why so many women have loved Women of the word. With over 250,000 copies sold, this book offers a simple, practical approach to studying Scripture that helps train your mind and transform your heart. So if you're longing to grow in your understanding of God's Word but need a little help to know where to begin, this is a resource worth picking up. I've read it myself. It's awesome. And you can find Women of the Word wherever books are sold. Or visit crossway.org

0:11:15 - (Natalie Abbott): womenofthewordbook to get 30% off with a free Crossway plus account or just follow the link in our show notes. You love Jesus. You want to honor Him. But in a world pulling you 100 different directions, what does it actually look like to live wholeheartedly for God? Well, let me tell you about all of me. It's a thoughtful study of Romans 12:1 2, some of my absolute favorite verses in Scripture. And in it, Bible teacher Cheryl Marshall explores what it means to worship God with every part of your life. Not just on Sundays, but in your everyday moments too.

0:11:50 - (Natalie Abbott): With biblical teaching and stories of women who faithfully follow God throughout history, this resource is a beautiful companion whether you're studying it on your own, with a friend, or in a small group. You can use the code worship for 30% off@thegoodbook.com and download your free study guide today or just follow the link in our show notes. Okay, so there's a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.

0:12:18 - (Natalie Abbott): A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot a time to kill and a time to heal a time to tear down and a time to build a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing A time to search and a time to give up, A time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend A time to be silent and a time to speak a time to love and a time to hate, A time for war and a Time for peace.

0:13:08 - (Natalie Abbott): Now, this is what he says about all of those different times, those seasons. He says, what do workers gain from their toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart. Yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and do good while they live, that each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil.

0:13:42 - (Natalie Abbott): This is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever and nothing can be added to it and nothing taken away from it. God does it so that people will fear Him. Okay, so remember what we talked about in the beginning, where we talked about what the author said was the point. He said the point was fear or revere God, keep His commands, and God will bring about justice in the end. He will bring all things to a beautiful end.

0:14:15 - (Natalie Abbott): And the interesting thing is in this paragraph that, where he's explaining what he said about all these different seasons, he mentions all three of those things in reverse. So at the very end of that paragraph, he says he does all of these things so that people will revere him, right? He. He sets up all of the things in the world. He gives the proper seasons for all things so that people will fear him.

0:14:45 - (Natalie Abbott): And before that, he says that there is nothing better for people than to be happy. And some verses, some versions say, to have joy and do good, right, to do what is right. That, that means, like, keep God's commands right, so fear God, keep His commands. And then there's this lovely little verse that says he has made everything beautiful in its time. And he also set eternity in the human heart. Yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

0:15:19 - (Natalie Abbott): In other words, there is this unknowability, there's this incomplete knowledge that we have. And yet somehow God has put eternity in our hearts so that we long for that. We long for justice. We long for this, the seasons to be right and for everything to be beautiful. And God's done that. He has made everything beautiful in its time, it says. And so that's sort of this past tense promise of this is what God has done.

0:15:51 - (Natalie Abbott): And the reality is this is what he is doing for all time. He will make everything beautiful in its time. And I love that little phrase, in its time, because I think sometimes as people, we want the quick answer. We want the right now. Lord, we are crying out, how long? And yet Sometimes the Lord says, wait. And yet we have this promise that he like it. Like the author says in the end, that God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil, that.

0:16:29 - (Natalie Abbott): That justice is coming. God will do that. And when we look backwards, we can say he has made everything beautiful in its time. And we see that, I think, most profoundly at the cross, where there is death and there is suffering and there is hardship and that list of times for the negative parts of those times, right, the time to weep, the time for really war being made on sin and on death and on the devil, like all of that we see at the cross.

0:17:10 - (Natalie Abbott): And yet we also know that that is where life is found, that that is the beauty of what is to come, the promise of the resurrection life that Jesus has earned by defeating death on our behalf. And so the more beautiful picture of, of this wisdom literature is in that little statement about fearing God, of revering God. It says that. That in verse 14, I know that everything God does will endure forever.

0:17:47 - (Natalie Abbott): All the beautiful things that he brings about from ashes, and that nothing can be added to it and nothing taken away from it. And God does it so that people will fear him, that we will revere him, that we will believe that he is God, that we will trust in Him. So even in this most complex, somewhat gritty book, almost skeptical, gnarly kind of things going on in this book, where we're being reminded constantly that you're going to die, that your life is fleeting, that you're only a vapor, that it doesn't matter if you're rich or poor, poor death is coming for you. And not only that, like, you might be really great, but bad things are going to happen to you still. Or you know that the race doesn't always go to the fastest person and the battle doesn't always go to the strong.

0:18:37 - (Natalie Abbott): There is this sense, though, that undergirding all of that is the beauty of God working out all things for good, for his glory and for those who love Him. And so that's the promise. And I would just say in whatever season that you are in, whether it's a glorious season or a mixed bag or really difficult season, know that the Lord is with you in all of it, and that he endured every hardship, every difficulty to bring you into eternal life, when God makes everything right.

0:19:14 - (Natalie Abbott): And that is the promise and the beauty in this book. And that is also what we see in the little microcosm of our verse, that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity. Under the heavens that in this lifetime, God has ordained the seasons of your life. And he's good, and he will make them all beautiful in their time. Thank you so much for being with me today. And I just pray that wherever you are that you would be encouraged that the Lord loves you and that he will bring you through to the end, because he is good and he is kind.

0:19:57 - (Natalie Abbott): Thanks for joining me today.