In the 1960s, the folk-rock band The Byrds popularized the song “Turn!
Turn! Turn!” It climbed to the top spot on the Billboard Hot
100 chart and gained worldwide popularity. People seemed captivated by the
lyrics. Interestingly, though, except for the last line, those lyrics are from
the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes.
“To everything there is a season,” proclaims the writer of Ecclesiastes,
“a time for every purpose under heaven” (3:1). He then lists some of the
seasons in human experience: birth and death, gain and loss, tears and
laughter, mourning and dancing. Just as the seasons in nature change, so do the
seasons in our lives. Our circumstances never stay the same for long.
Sometimes we welcome change in our lives. But often it is difficult,
especially when it involves sorrow and loss. Yet even then we can be thankful
that God does not change. “I am the Lord,” He said through the prophet Malachi,
“I do not change” (Mal. 3:6).
Because God remains the same, we can rely on Him through the shifting
seasons of life. His presence is always with us (Ps. 46:1), His peace has the
power to guard our hearts (Phil. 4:7), and His love provides security for our
souls (Rom. 8:39).
God’s unchanging nature is our security during seasons of change. (RBC)
