By Not Known
There is an appointed time for everything.
And there is a time for every event under heaven –
A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up….
He has made everything appropriate in its time… (Ecc. 3:1-8, 11a; NASB)
King Solomon begins this section of his poem by stating a thesis ‘There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven’ (v.1). He then proceeds to illustrate and demonstrate his thesis (vv. 2-8). He ends this section of his poem with a statement ‘He has made everything appropriate (beautiful, in the NIV) in its time’. The key word in this section is ‘time’, and this key word is used thirty times in all, from Verses 1 to 8.
There are insights worth noting in this section of his poem:
1. Life is really a matter of timing, for timing is everything. And God appoints the times and the seasons.
2. The events in our lives do not happen randomly by chance, for God has a purpose behind them.
3. King Solomon is not making judgments with regard to the topics mentioned from Verses 2 to 8. He is merely recording the events that occur ‘under heaven’; we live in a world of changes.
4. There is a good sense one experiences by fitting into a given event at the right time even if the event, by its nature, is not a delightful one.
A Time to Meet
It is not an event that randomly happens by chance that I come to serve at ORPC. Instead, it is ‘an appointed time’ by God for me to be here. God has a purpose behind them. As I meet and interact with ORPC’s members and friends, God will continue to build my character, and I consider it as part of the development of my spiritual life; to be continually moulded in Christlikeness. I will also learn from the ministries that I am given charge of and will involve myself in, at ORPC.
The Road Ahead
Changes occur all around us. For instance, day comes after night. The young grows old and the new becomes old. Changes help us learn to adapt to new situations and grow inwardly. It was a change that I went through when God called me to serve full-time, going to the Singapore Bible College to be trained as His servant. It was a change that I went through when I served in Hebron B-P Church and Glory Presbyterian Church. Similarly, it was a change that I went through when I moved from singlehood to marriage and to motherhood. God made me grow through these changes. Hence, I believe this time round, He has prepared another change for me to go through by leading me to serve here at ORPC so that it will help me to continue growing in Christ-likeness.
The road ahead for me in my new ministry here, I believe, will present new challenges but I take courage in being aware of God’s presence with me. With your support and prayer, and by God’s grace, I believe we will be able to serve Him well together, as one body of Christ.
Herna Kong