Day 3 | A Time for Everything | Recognizing God’s Timing Without Fear | Good People Pass Away: Living with Hope, Leaving with Peace

Scripture Reading:“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.” – Ecclesiastes 3:1–2 (NIV)

Death is often the part of life we struggle with the most.

 We celebrate birth, graduations, weddings, and milestones with joy. 

But when it comes to death, we hesitate. We pull back. 

Many see it only as an interruption, something untimely, something that comes too soon. 

Yet the Bible reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3 that “there is a time for everything.”

The writer of Ecclesiastes, traditionally understood to be Solomon, speaks about life with honesty and realism. He doesn’t paint life as endless sunshine. Instead, he tells us there is a season for joy and a season for sorrow, a season for beginnings and a season for endings. 

And right at the heart of it, he says, there is “a time to be born and a time to die.”

That’s not meant to frighten us—it’s meant to free us. It reminds us that life is not random. 

The timing of our entrance into the world and the timing of our departure are in God’s hands. Nothing takes Him by surprise. 

Scripture teaches: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” – Psalm 139:16 (NIV)

So while some may call a death “untimely” from a human perspective, in God’s timing, it is never too soon or too late. Death comes in the season God has appointed.

Now, from our perspective, it doesn’t always feel that way. We cry, “Why now, Lord?” when someone passes before we think they should. We look at a young person whose life seemed unfinished and wonder, “How could this be their time?” 

But Ecclesiastes pushes us back to the bigger truth: God holds all the times and seasons of life, even the ones we don’t understand.

Think about the comfort in that. If there is a time to be born and a time to die, then both of those moments are written in God’s book. 

Job 14:5 (NIV) says, “Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” 

That means your life is not a mistake. The lives of our loved ones were not cut short outside of God’s knowledge. Every day, from the first breath to the last, is known by Him.

So how should we live in light of this truth? Not in fear—but in faith. Death is a reality, yes, but it does not have to be a shadow hanging over us. 

Instead, it can be a reminder to live each day with purpose. To plant seeds of love and faith while we can. To cherish the moments we are given. To prepare our hearts for eternity, knowing that one day our season will shift, and we will step into God’s presence.

The unbeliever may hear this and feel dread—because if you are not ready for eternity, death is terrifying. 

But for the believer, this truth is liberating. It reminds us that our times are in God’s hands, and His timing is always perfect.

So today, Family, let us recognize that life comes in seasons. Don’t cling so tightly to one season that you miss the beauty of another.

Live ready. Since the time of our departure is in God’s hands, let’s live with faith and integrity. Replace fear with trust. When anxiety about death creeps in, remind yourself: “My times are in God’s hands.”

Closing Prayer

Lord, thank You that our lives are in Your hands. Thank You that You have set the times and seasons of our lives with wisdom and love. Help us to live without fear, to trust Your timing, and to walk faithfully in the days You have given us. Teach us to live with eternity in view, knowing that both life and death are under Your care. In Jesus’ name, Amen.