Times and Seasons

‘To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven’ (Eccl 3:1)

According the Greek language there are two kinds of time, Kairos and Chronos. Chronos means man’s operational time. This is measured by watches, calendars climates etc. On the other hand Kairos means God’s divine timing. God is Spirit and lives in the infinite or timeless realm called eternity. Time in the realm of the spirit is not the same as time in the realm of the physical, even though we call it time as humans. That is why a day is like a thousand years to God. So basically Kairos is God’s divine timing for the accomplishment of his purposes in our lives.

Eccl 3:1 teaches that ‘to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven’, meaning God has designed life in such a way that there is a time for every activity and a time for every purpose to be accomplished. However, failing to recognise the spiritual season in which you are and responding and living accordingly, can cause you to miss the blessings God intends for you in that season. In Luke 19:41-44 Jesus wept as he approached Jerusalem, because of its impending destruction. In His words to them He said Jerusalem is going to be destroyed, ‘because you did not know the time of your visitation’. God ordains times and seasons in which He makes provisions for some specific blessings and deliverance, but it is our responsibility as individuals to discern or have a revelation of those times. In the same way that there are favorable seasons for sowing and reaping in terms of agriculture, so is it spiritually. That is why Jesus accused the Pharisees and Sadducees in Mat 16:3 that, ‘You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times.

What season of life are you in now and what are your responsibilities in that season? Spiritual seasons are determined by revelation. Deut 29:29 says that ‘the secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law’. Two lessons that can be derived from this scripture are that, ‘until it is revealed to you it does not belong to you’ (D. Oyedepo). Secondly, ‘spiritual seasons are determined by decisions’ (Mike Murdock). Meaning, after you get a revelation of the season you are in, you need to respond by being obedient and making wise decisions.

It is said that, success is achieved when preparations meets opportunity. As you wait for your season or God’s time, prepare yourself and be sensitive. You may have missed some opportunities of a life time, you may have grieved God by disobedience or hardness of heart, but we serve a God of second chance. Remember the story of Samson and David. Today, ask God to forgive you for some past mistakes and begin again. To another person, today may be your time of visitation according to the Kairos or the timing of God. Be sensitive and listen to the guidance of God, He will lead you to the right people, right places, and right plan.