“For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter” (Ecclesiastes 8:6a).

 

I was eager to do the next step at my work and had the go ahead, so I did. Later I realized I forgot to check one crucial thing before moving forward. My eagerness to be done quickly actually ended up delaying the project I wanted to hurry along.

 

I wanted to purchase something, but did not want to be pushy. I finally asked about it and I was five days too late. The person said she wished I had asked sooner. Then she would have sold it to me. But instead, she sold it five days prior to someone else.

 

I approved of the advertisement. Later I noticed a crucial change that I had overlooked in my hurry to meet a deadline.

 

Believe it or not, all of the above instances happened within the same week. After a week of seemingly getting my timing on things off, the Lord comforted me with this verse. “For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,” (Ecclesiastes 8:6a). Clearly, I didn’t know the right time or procedure! How could God ever use me when I kept messing things up?

 

I turned to God’s Word. After listening to the first twenty or so chapters of Genesis, I realized something. Adam and Eve messed up. Cain messed up. Abraham messed up. A lot of people God used messed up. That’s what’s so great about God. It’s never been about us and our ability to get it right. God can still do His will despite us. Yes, “there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,” and God knows what that is (Ecclesiastes 8:6a). Therefore, we should “not be in a hurry to leave the king’s presence” (Ecclesiastes 8:3). In other words, if God knows it all, and He’s our Supreme King, we should not be in a hurry to leave His presence.

 

Spending time with the Lord does not mean we will not sin. However, the more consistent we are in spending time with the Lord in the Bible, the more consistently we will choose to do what is right without sinning. The more we soak up His Words, the more we will be able to live it out. The NLT explains Ecclesiastes 8:6 well, “for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.” Even when we are in a tight spot, God has a plan. He has a right course to take. We simply have to ask Him and seek His will in any and every situation. Amen!