The writer of Ecclesiastes hit the target when he said: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose…” (Ecc. 3:1). But just as nature’s seasons and extremes work for the ultimate good of mankind, even so the changing of times and circumstances work for the ultimate good of the soul. After all, God’s true goal for those He has saved and called is not just our arrival in heaven, but in our being conformed to the image of Jesus Himself (Romans 8:29). To do this, the Lord allows at least seven different times, or seasons, to be part of the life of one who would serve Him.

TIMES OF DELIGHT

It is wonderful to feel the powerful presence of the Lord. And who would not want a continual sense of being used mightily by the Holy Spirit. Elijah knew that exhilaration when God told him to confront King Ahab and destroy Satan’s army of 450 Baal worshipers and 400 other false prophets of Jezebel. When God’s fire fell and the devil’s disciples were destroyed, what a feeling of anointing and closeness to God Elijah must have felt! A true time of delight! But those times don’t last, as Elijah learned when he ran for his life from Jezebel and sat down under a juniper tree to offer God his death wish (I Kings 18-19:4).

Don’t confuse the times of delight (that lift our emotions to Mount Everest heights) with the scriptural admonition to “Delight thyself also in the Lord” (Proverbs 37:4). Emotions change when circumstances or feelings change, but God’s Word and Presence never change. Marriage offers a good illustration. Honeymoons can be sensational “times of delight”, but then the difficult reality follows. So enjoy the times when God’s presence is so real you can almost touch Him and His Word explodes like a million joy bells in your heart. But realize that His training will take in much time when you will “walk by faith, not by sight” (II Corinthians 5:7); when you will learn the principal of endurance in spite of a loss of your positive emotions. That’s why I call “times of delight” tests—and not just triumphs—because how you view those positive moments will determine how you will handle the negative times.

TIMES OF DRYNESS

Ever had those times when it feels like God is nowhere around? We all have—or will have—periods of dryness where our feelings tell us that God has left us on our own. It is now only faith that keeps us going by insisting that God’s promises are true—and that God is closer than our breath.

David describes his times of dryness: “Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble? (Psalm 10:1) And David’s emotional state grows worse when he complains in Psalm 13:1 “How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? Forever?” Yet he always ended up experiencing God’s deliverance.

Dry times are good for us. They offer us the best chance to grow—by believing we are being cared for by the God of abundant rain even when we must endure times of desert heat and dryness.

TIMES OF DANGER

Every believer will experience times of danger to a greater or lesser degree. For some, it may be the literal danger of imminent death. In 1996 there were 160,000 believers in Jesus martyred throughout the world. The following years have been just as terrible. All of these precious saints sacrificed their lives to preserve their testimonies to love Jesus to the end.

I love the attitudes of the three young Hebrews in Daniel 3:17-18. When they were ordered to worship the king’s idolatrous golden image, they refused by declaring God’s power and ability to deliver them from the burning furnace. But since they were not sure that it would be God’s will to spare them from death, they boldly added those great words of faith, “But if not” and confessed their love for God alone, whether they lived or died.

Paul declared the same in Acts 20:24 and Philippians 1:20-21, counting his life expendable for the cause of Messiah Jesus and affirming his desire to glorify the Lord by life or by death.

Most Christians may never face the martyr’s challenge, but all will be called upon to stand up for Christ when circumstances would make it easy to deny Him. There will be danger and some form of persecution to all who will live godly lives. (II Timothy 3:12).

(4 MORE IMPORTANT POINTS FOLLOW IN OUR NEXT STUDY—PART 2)