Life’s seasons come and go, sometimes change quickly and yet often stay the same. Like Alaska’s notorious weather, life can turn on a dime. The author of Ecclesiastes presents a beautiful compilation of life’s seasons.
Following is my first effort at applying specific Psalms to the Wisdom writer’s Ecclesiastes 3 seasons of life. If you have a favorite Psalm for a certain season, please share.
We can understand each verse, Ecclesiastes 3:2-8, to include parallel concepts. For example in verse 2, born and plant can be seen as similar ideas in addition to the similarities of die and pluck up.
The wise person, it seems to me, is able to recognize the various seasons of life in their different life roles. Seasons are not all or nothing. For example, you can be in a rainy season at work and a sunny season in your hobbies. The all or nothing perspective appears to be less than wise, in my opinion.
Holding contrasting seasons peacefully simultaneously is the ability of the wise. It could be time for something to be born in worship while it is also time to let the dream of being a rock star (are there any anymore?) die.
Whatever the season, God has a Psalm for you.
| For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: | Psalm 23 Psalm 91 |
| a time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted; | Birth – Psalm 20 Death Psalm 116 |
| a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up; | Break down -Psalm 137 Build up – Psalm 127 |
| a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance; | Weeping – Psalm 126 Dancing – Psalm 30 |
| a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; | Cast away – Psalm 68 Gather together – Psalm 133 |
| a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away; | Seeking – Psalm 13 Stopping the search – Psalm 139 |
| a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; | Silence – Psalm 62 Speaking – Psalm 92 |
| a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. | War – Psalm 144 Peace – Psalm 29 |
The Holy Spirit has inspired Psalms perfectly fitting for this season in your life and He is inspiring you through abiding in them.