All the Time - Part 1

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven,” wrote the Teacher in Ecclesiastes. There is wisdom in that, for he reminds his listeners that there is “a time to be born and a time to die … a time to weep and a time to laugh … a time to keep and a time to throw away … a time to be silent and a time to speak …” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

Life’s journey takes us through different stages and ages, different circumstances and roles. In each of these there is an appropriate way to choose and act. In the big picture of life, there is also a need to change one’s perspectives, orientations and priorities. The psychologist Carl Jung said that the “adaptations that we make in childhood stop working in our middle age.” We need to find new goals and anchors.

While Ecclesiastes 3 provides a certain wisdom to look at life’s changing seasons, the Bible also provides a parallel perspective (the other side of the coin) that should help us live as disciples of Jesus.

There are some things that do not change and we are expected to have unchanging lifelong perspectives and habits that will see us move on in our journey with the Lord.

Let us look at a few examples.

Firstly, we are to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Several Bible translations use the phrase ‘pray without ceasing’ while the NLT says, “Never stop praying”. The point is that we are to pray all the time; there is no time or season that exempts us from praying or when prayer is unnecessary.

There are two questions that come to mind.

The first is ‘Why is it so?’ This is quite easy to answer. Most people understand that we pray because we are dependent on God. However, many people pray especially (or only) when they feel they have no more control over their situation, such as when they are in serious danger or struck with a deadly illness. They pray when they feel helpless and in need of God’s help, or when they think that a little help from heaven would give success to their attempts to solve their problems.

Such limited understanding of God’s providence does injustice to who God is and how He takes care of us. We read in Scripture that Jesus sustains all things by His powerful Word (Hebrews 1:3). The idea here is that God does not just create us and leave us to our own devices (a fallacy of thinking attributed to Deists), but that He is intimately involved in our lives moment by moment.

Discussion Questions:

How is it possible to pray continuously (1 Thessalonians 5:16)? In what way does thinking of prayer as an ongoing and developing relationship with God help us answer this question? Think of practical ways in which you can practise the command in 1 Thessalonians 5:16.

Discuss the statement: “The more we love Him and obey Him, the fuller our joy will be.” How does this statement help you to understand that it is possible to rejoice in the Lord always (Philippians 4:4)? What must you believe in order to give thanks to God “in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)? Take a moment to do just that – as you thank God in prayer.