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Time is something we all wrestle with. It can feel like a gift or a curse. A new beginning or a looming deadline. For some, time flies; for others, it drags. But for everyone, time marches on—relentless, unyielding, and beyond our control. Ecclesiastes 3:1–15 forces us to confront the truth: time is a tyrant. But it also points us to the One who rules time—and invites us to trust Him.

1. Time Ruins Us

Ecclesiastes 3 begins with one of the most well-known poems in Scripture. You've probably heard it before: "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." These verses have been read at weddings, funerals, and even set to music by The Byrds. But while the poem sounds lyrical and comforting, Solomon’s tone is not optimistic.

This isn’t a cheerful celebration of life’s changing seasons—it’s a lament. After listing 14 contrasting pairs (a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, etc.), Solomon asks a pointed question in verse 9: “What gain has the worker from his toil?” In other words, what’s the point of all this?

Here’s what Solomon wants us to see: time ruins us in at least four ways.

  • Time is uncontrollable. Most of the moments in life come without our consent. You didn’t choose the day you were born, and you won’t choose the day you die. You can’t stop wars or ensure peace. You don’t get to schedule joy or suffering. Life happens to you, often without your permission.

  • Time brings suffering. The poem mentions death, mourning, loss, hate, and war. These aren’t just poetic contrasts—they’re reminders that life in a fallen world is full of pain. And as time progresses, so does suffering.

  • Time doesn’t last. Good things pass as quickly as bad ones. A vacation ends. A child grows up. A joyful season slips into sorrow. The phrase “this too shall pass” applies not just to hardship but also to happiness.

  • Time takes everything. Bobby Jamieson puts it this way: “Given enough time, time will take back all it gives. All its gifts are loans.” Even the greatest among us—like Ozymandias in Shelley’s poem—are ultimately forgotten by time.

So what do we do? If time is a tyrant that strips us of control, joy, and permanence, are we just doomed to despair?

2. God Rules Time

Thankfully, Ecclesiastes 3 doesn’t end at verse 9. Beginning in verse 10, the Preacher pulls back the curtain to show us what’s behind the seemingly random seasons of life. He writes, “I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Here’s the good news: time is not ultimate—God is. He is sovereign over every season. Life is not governed by fate or randomness but by a wise and loving God who makes everything beautiful in its time.

This doesn’t mean we’ll always see the beauty right away. In fact, verse 11 goes on to say that God “has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” We long to understand the big picture, but we’re limited in our view. Like a person standing inches from a massive tapestry, we can only see a few threads at a time. But God sees the whole thing.

One of the clearest biblical examples of this is the story of Joseph. Betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, and imprisoned, Joseph could have seen only a chaotic mess. But later he would say, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). That’s the hope we have when we believe that God rules time—He can bring beauty from even the darkest moments.

But this hope is not merely intellectual. It demands a response.

3. Trust Redeems Time

If time is a tyrant and God is sovereign over it, how should we live? Should we simply shrug our shoulders in fatalism and say, “Whatever will be, will be”? No—Solomon calls us to trust the God who rules time. That trust shows up in three practical ways:

A) Fear God

Verse 14 reminds us that whatever God does lasts forever. Nothing can be added or taken away from His plans. And Solomon says, “God has done it, so that people fear before Him.”

The fear of the Lord is not terror—it’s reverence. It’s recognizing that God is God and we are not. It’s trusting His wisdom, even when we don’t understand His timing. That kind of trust begins when we recognize our need for a Savior.

Each of us has sinned and fallen short. No amount of time can erase our guilt. But God, in His mercy, entered time in the person of Jesus Christ. He lived the life we couldn’t live, died the death we deserved, and rose again to give us eternal life. Because of Jesus, time no longer has the final word—grace does.

B) Pursue Holiness

In verse 12, Solomon says, “There is nothing better than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live.” The Hebrew word for “good” here implies moral goodness—holiness.

To redeem your time means to live it on purpose—for the glory of God and the good of others. Jesus said it best in the Great Commission: “Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Holiness is not legalism—it’s living in alignment with the God who made time and redeemed it.

C) Enjoy Life

Finally, in verse 13, Solomon writes, “Everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.”

This isn’t empty hedonism. It’s not about worshiping the gifts of God—it’s about receiving them with gratitude and seeing them as pointers to the Giver. You can enjoy biscuits and gravy or a walk on the beach, not because those things are ultimate, but because they remind you of the One who gives good gifts.

Only when Jesus becomes your greatest joy can you truly enjoy the fleeting pleasures of this life. Otherwise, you’ll cling to them, trying to stop time from stealing them away. But when you trust the One who rules time, you’re free to enjoy the gifts He gives—without fear of losing them.

Time is a tyrant—until you trust the One who rules it. Jesus is the King of Kings, and His kingdom will never fade. Don’t waste your life chasing monuments in the sand. Trust Him. Fear Him. Obey Him. Enjoy Him.

Because when you belong to the eternal God, every second of your life matters. And one day, when time gives way to eternity, we will understand it better—by and by.