Ecclesiastes 3  The first 8 verses of this chapter are perhaps the most well known words of this book.. "There is an appointed time for everything... a time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted... " 

"An appointed time.."  - a fixed season or time "for every event" - for everything that is of value.. every matter that makes up our earthly lives.. birth and death; weeping and laughing; keeping and throwing away;  being silent and speaking up.. loving and hating.. war and peace...

God is the One who sets our appointments... He "has made everything appropriate in its time" and He is the One that "has also set eternity in [our] hearts." (v11)  He is the One who gives any meaning to our lives... these lives that are like a vapor.. As James wrote.. "You are just like a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.. " ( 4:14b)  

In his human perspective the Preacher concludes that there is meaning to this life only in the fact that God has given a gift to us.. " that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor - it is the gift of God." 

But, there is another stark reality to the Preacher, as he writes here.. "For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. all came from dust and all return to dust. Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth ?" (v19-21)  In other words.. be as happy as you can now, for who knows what happens next.. ( Yet, we have a hope that the world does not have!  Hallelujah!)

There is a simplicity to the Preacher's word here that draws us to this passage.. our lives are measured by these significant events.. from birth to death.. and everything in between.  If we can learn to live according to this "gift of God" .. to rejoice in doing good.. to see good in our work.. to be thankful for what God has provided along the way.. to walk in the Truth of God's Word.. there is "nothing better".  

We can trust in God's appointments.. in the times that He gives us.. times of laughing and times of mourning.. times of searching and times of giving up that which is lost.. even times when there is war and times of peace.  

Father in heaven,  our times are in Your Hands  and we are safe there.. waiting on You.. hoping in You.. trusting in You.  We do not know what this day holds, let alone tomorrow.. but we do know that You remain forever and everything You do remains forever.. that we can add nothing to it or take anything from it.. but we can keep on trusting and obeying You.  You are Almighty God who will "judge both the righteous man and the wicked man.. for a time for every matter and for every deed is there."  Hide us under Your wings.. shelter us in the Rock.. keep us abiding in the Vine, no matter what comes next.. for we ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.