TIMES AND SEASONS OF LIFE
PREPARING FOR TIMES AND SEASONS
By Sis Bose Olatunbosun
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DEDICATION
To God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
To The memory of Vickie Agili and all my loved ones in heaven;
To those who are mourning the loss of loved ones;
To those remembering their loved ones
And to those seeking freedom from the fear of death.
INTRODUCTION
““As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.””
Genesis 8:22 NIV
When we were young, my mother used to prepare for night time everyday at about 10:00 am when she was off duty or 12:00 noon when on duty at her break time. She will wash the glass shades of our lanterns and trim the wicks then fill their kerosene tanks to the maximum level. She was a nurse but she chose to work in rural hospitals where there was no electricity supply for very personal reasons. Even when she eventually decided to come to town, she continued the same routine in readiness for power failure at night even when it rarely happened. It soon became part of all of us to prepare for the night time as we grew up. I did not know the life significance of this until I was reminded by the Holy Spirit while preparing to write this booklet. Life is made to resonate in cycles of opposite times and seasons. Day and night affirm this everyday. One insurance company has a grand advert titled "For when the unexpected happens ". It is quite an interesting advert that lists most possible dark situations that one can have which they call the unexpecteds but few people take it in more than the surface admiration of the advert. When minor unexpected happens, they are unprepared and have no buffer that insurance offers no matter how small. On second thought, should anything really be unexpected? Considering our opening scripture and the consistency of day and night. This Booklet however, deals with how to prepare for the ultimate dark day that no one wants to talk about and being the very first of times and seasons that Solomon the wise king of Israel mentioned, it carries prime attention. Being knowledgeable and prepared for different times and seasons gives one confidence and peace of mind. The advantage of preparedness is that you are neither fearful nor caught unawares. Dark times don't knock you off and down and bright times make you seize any opportunities presented. I pray that this little book will open your eyes and help you to become stronger no matter the times and seasons.
THERE IS TIME FOR EVERYTHING
“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, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 NIV
This bible passage gives a broad summary of the times and seasons as God ordained. In whatever time you are now, know for sure that you will experience the high or low side of it. Do not be overly consumed in any emotions associated with your state. Embrace this fact, so that no state catches you unawares and unprepared.
A young Ibo woman I met some years back was making so much money at that time from her business and her husband was collecting the money from her. I called and asked her to buy a parcel of land to build a small house for when the business will become slow. She told her husband who reluctantly agreed. Things went well for four years after which there was a downturn in the economy. They couldn’t pay house rent so they moved into their nearly completed building. If she had been disobedient and rejected that hard time will come, she and her family would have been stranded and with no option but to go back to their village.
That hard times will come is not a prophecy of doom but an affirmation of God’s word in
Genesis 8:22. Everyone needs to prepare for both good and tough times. The world was warned of a pandemic years before COVID 19 but the warning was ignored until it came in 2019 and claimed so many lives worldwide and afflicted millions. I have had to go through tough times and seasons and I must confess that I was too busy enjoying the day time and never thought about nor prepared for the nighttime. In fact, I thought the night cannot happen to me because I believe in the promises of God ignoring the promise of day and night . When I see others experience their night seasons, I used to blame them for so many mistakes that led them there as if I do not do the very things I blamed them for. However, those who were prepared had light for the night time and weathered the storm till light came again. Learn the various ways in which the night could come in every area of your life and prepare your light for such a season. When it comes, the light will illuminate your path and you will hang on till the day comes again.
There are various books, lectures and philosophies that teach how to deal with all dark seasons except one. We are also unconsciously taught from childhood to deal with dark seasons of every sort but not one. The creator Himself however reminds us each day of this dark season by making us sleep at night and waking us up in the morning. We however look at this as normal everyday life without thinking deeply to prepare for the ultimate dark day of death when we shall sleep and not wake up on this side again. I have no control over when I fall asleep. I only go to bed when I am tired and lie down. I don’t control when my eyes close and I am knocked off. Some people shower at night to prepare for sleep, some take some medication to relax but none of us prepare for the ultimate sleep.
“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,...” Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a NIV
The time we are born and the time we shall die are beyond our control. It is only God who has the key to that. You can argue that science has a control but it is only what God permits science to do that happens. There are many in-vitro fertilisations that fail. It only records about 40% success and that is dependent on many conditions. Death too is not under man’s control. Even when health is perfect, at God’s appointed time, other things take life away. Therefore, since we are not in control of these important dark day of our lives, we need to be better prepared for it as if it will happen today.
A TIME TO BE BORN
The time, place and how we are born is not within our control in any way. I cannot prepare for my birth, not even my immediate post birth life. God determines that I will be born to whoever parents He chooses in His own time and way. When I get here, my parents prepare me for life until I am old enough to make my decisions. As far as I know, we are trained to succeed without much mention of failure. We are not trained to fail. It is like we are not trained for the dark side of life. The dark side however is a must to happen just like day and night. If many of us elders had taken this in at earlier ages, we would have fared better. Many people even assume that the dark side of life cannot happen to them either because of faith or positive thinking. The bible however talks about the dark days and all the patriarchs of faith had their dark seasons. Because I am not conscious or in control of whether to be born, where to be born and to what parents, I cannot do much about that. But there is what I can prepare for and make quality and informed decisions about. That is where I will go after I die.
A TIME TO DIE
Whether we like it or not, we shall die one day. Unfortunately, I cannot decide that day. It is God that decides when a person will die. Many people have tried suicide with most potent of poisons and they did not die. Talking about suicide, when you find life unbearable, it is worthless resorting to suicide because if God does not make suicide your way to exit this world, you may end up being worse off. There are examples of people who have ended up with terrible ailments as side effects of attempt at suicide. Many have survived the most fatal car and air crashes, and many have beaten the most deadly and dreaded diseases to live until it is God's time. The psalmist says
“My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me.”
Psalms 31:15 NIV
Our times are in the hands of God. Death like birth happens in His time but unlike our birth, we can prepare for our death and where we shall be when we die. It is when we ignore the fact that we shall die at one point that we live "carelessly" programming death out of our consciousness.
The bible gives a record of death at different stages of existence.
“Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.”
Exodus 23:25-26 NIV
Miscarriage is possible. The person dies while still in the womb. There is no preparation such a person can make.
““Why did I not perish at birth, and die as I came from the womb?” Job 3:11 NIV
““Why then did you bring me out of the womb? I wish I had died before any eye saw me. If only I had never come into being, or had been carried straight from the womb to the grave!”
Job 10:18-19 NIV
Baby dying at birth or stillbirth possible. No preparation that such a person can make as well.
“On the seventh day the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.””
2 Samuel 12:18 NIV
A week old baby died. Again, no preparation that such a person can make.
““As for you, go back home. When you set foot in your city, the boy will die. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will be buried, because he is the only one in the house of Jeroboam in whom the Lord, the God of Israel, has found anything good.”
1 Kings 14:12-13 NIV
A young boy died. Depending on the age of the young person, he can prepare for his eternal home but he can’t do anything about those left to mourn if he hasn’t any possessions of value. However if he has acquired treasures, he needs to also make arrangements as to how he wants his possessions handled when he goes.
“Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.” Genesis 25:8 NIV
Abraham died at a good old age. Abraham died knowing where he was going after death and made arrangements for those left behind so that there will be no confusion about the temporal things he left behind. “Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.” Genesis 25:5-6, 8 NIV
With these examples, it is clear that there is no hard and fast rule as to when a person can die or how long a person must live before dying. The important thing therefore is to prepare for death and teach people how to prepare for death and meet their Maker. Death is not to be feared but embraced the way we embrace life.
I even discovered that death is an act of love by God. Having eaten the tree that brought evil, it will be unimaginable for a person who has grown weak and with unbearable pain in the body to continue living. If you read the book of Job, you will see him begging for death when pain was too much also, if you look around you, you will know one or two people who are begging for death either because of old age or sickness.
“And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22, 24 NIV
God prevented man from eating the fruit of the tree of life and live forever in a pain or age wreaked body. I learnt to say a thanksgiving prayer that runs like this daily “For the gift of death when our bodies are weak and can no longer carry on without pain, thank you God.” This prayer has helped me embrace death and mourn meaningfully when someone dies.
Now that you know that death is natural and inevitable, will you now positively embrace it and prepare for what happens to you after death? To positively embrace death is to study it and see what God says about death and how you can handle it.
UNDERSTANDING LIFE
Knowledge is power and the saying is true of issues of life and death as well. There is life as we know it now; temporal with everything that has to do with it. We are born into it without our conscious choice. The end of it was pronounced by God in Genesis chapter 3.
“By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; *for dust you are and to dust you will return*.”” Genesis 3:19 NIV
This has been and will continue to be the end of life as we know it now. The end of this life is what we call death that we fear and avoid talking about.
There is another life indicated in the garden of Eden from which God barred man by putting cherubim with a flaming sword at the entrance.
“And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and *live forever*.”
After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:22, 24 NIV
This is eternal life. Eternal life was not accessible to man until Jesus came. The way to eternal life was opened by God in John 3:16.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
We do not have a choice in coming to this temporal
life neither do we have a choice as to when we leave it but we have a choice in entering eternal life or not. It is our responsibility to choose to enter eternal life.
A lady once told a story of her discussion with her son when he asked her why a loving God will allow people to go to hell. She gave him an analogy that warmed my heart and brought the need for salvation out clear. Mankind is already on the way to hell because of the sin nature we inherited from Adam. God gave us a way out of hell. It is like a sinking ship with a lifeboat presented to keep the people inside alive. Whoever rejects the life boat sinks with the ship. Jesus is God's lifeboat to save mankind from hell. Whoever rejects the offer goes to hell just as that person in the sinking boat perishes with the boat. Jesus is the way to eternal life with God.
How can we prepare to enter eternal life? What is eternal life? Jesus said "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17:3 NIV
This means that eternal life starts from here the day a man receives the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. That day, his inner man dies and is replaced by the life of Christ. Ideally, the self of such a person is put to death and he begins to live the life of Christ. Just as the life of God left man when he obeyed Satan in the garden, the life of Satan leaves the man when he obeys God.
The implication of this is that you surrender your entire self to the control of Jesus. This is quite difficult as old ways of doing things seem better and more familiar than following the path of Jesus not so much known to man. However, if you can read through Revelation chapters 19-22, you will have a glimpse of what heaven is about and as you desire to be there, dying will not be a fearful thing but the path to a more joyful and peaceful place and it will be easily embraced as long as you are living the life of obedience to God.
CHAPTER 3
PREPARING FOR DEATH
The first preparation is to accept eternal life while still here. There is no other way that man can be saved.
“Jesus is “ ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”” Acts 4:11-12 NIV
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV
The bible says ““for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”. Romans 3:23 NIV
We were all in the loins of Adam when he sinned so all of us have sinned in him and come short of the glory of God. The bible goes on to say ““For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 NIV
So we are all sentenced to death in Adam but as many as believe in Jesus Christ have eternal life. The bible puts it this way “for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Romans 10:13-14 NIV Whoever hears the message of salvation in Jesus Christ and calls on Him will be saved. No matter when he hears the message and believes. The thief on the right side of Jesus called on Him for salvation just before dying. Luke 23:43. While one can get saved at the last minute, it is safer to accept the message today when you hear it as you do not know when that last moment will be. For those who are lucky to hear the message and accept at the point of death, you will be like the thief on the right side. This is why it is important for you to tell people about salvation in Christ.
To anyone who has eternal life, death of the body is the transition to perfection of eternal life.
There is life beyond this existence and having chosen eternal life in Jesus, the next step is to live the life of Jesus here on earth. This you do by reading the word of God and living by it. The Holy Spirit of God dwells in you as you accept Jesus and He enables you to live for Christ. This destroys the fear of death and gives you an insight of where you are going when you die. The grave is not the end of whoever dies in Christ.
Jesus rose from the grave to show us that we need not fear death again and he rose to sit at the right hand of the Father to show us that there is a real place of abode beyond the grave after we arise too. Knowing this, what shall we do?
WHAT SHALL WE DO?
We grieve deeply and heal slowly from a loved one being called home because
We wonder who will fill the vacuum the person leaves behind. From experience, I find that the vacuum will be filled by God as need be. So we should learn to depend on God who is the one using the person to fill the vacuum while he was here. I experienced this when my son was called home as I mourned deeply and poured my heart out to God. He comforted me by explaining to me that He did not promise us long life in Christ but eternal life. I appreciated the difference between long life and eternal life for the first time and I was really comforted. Then the Lord explained the deep and unending mourning by friends and relations is a result of the benefits lost as a result of his demise. I shared this revelation with one of them and he agreed and saw how selfish human beings are in their mourning the departed. An irrelevant person to them is mourned lightly and briefly while the useful person is mourned endlessly. Nobody mourns a nuisance person endlessly.
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 NIV
Left behind to mourn? Then mourn with hope that you will meet again when your time comes to go home.
We are not sure of what becomes of our loved one after death. You take care of that by making sure that all your loved ones hear the message of salvation in Christ and pray that they accept it and follow Him. That gives you the assurance that the dead person lives on in Christ. You are always with them at the times you worship. Hebrews 12:22-24.
Personal fear of dying ourselves. You overcome the fear of dying yourself by reading about heaven to the point where you have a deep conviction that heaven exists and the way you live your life gives you hope of going there. I was inspired to pen a thanksgiving prayer to God that goes thus “for the gift of death when our bodies can no longer carry on painlessly; thank You O Lord. For the hope of eternal life after death; thank you O Lord.”
I am not ready to die, yet the next person could be me. Now that you know that you don’t have control over when you die, live each day as if it is the last and always be prepared. Let people you trust know some details of your life so that anytime it happens, they will know what to do with whatever you leave behind.
All the patriarchs of faith made definitive statements to those left behind to continue after them. Abraham shared his possessions between all his children. Isaac pronounced blessings on his sons. Jacob blessed each of his children and gave them inheritance. Joseph gave instructions as to where he was to be buried. David did the same to Solomon and instructed him how to deal with people who hurt him. By doing this, they embraced death and made room for peace between those left behind after their demise.
Solomon the wise king of Israel gave this counsel “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.”
Ecclesiastes 7:2 NIV
We should all take death to heart because it is the destiny of everyone. Whatever good you can do each day, do not put it off till tomorrow for you can never tell when your time will come. Remember God always and do good so that your heart will be at peace anytime that death comes.
Paul admonishes us to ““Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
1 Timothy 6:12 NIV. Live right as your faith demands no matter what the condition is so that you may take hold of eternal life. Paul was not afraid of dying as he was able to affirm that “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7 NIV. When you live for Christ and do your work here on earth, then you should be ready to go home anytime death comes calling.
In conclusion, know that death is the destiny of all people; When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man,
1 Kings 2:1-2 NIV
knowing where you go after death is the key point. This comes only by faith in what God says in the bible. Watching how God gives you peace in all situations will be a taste of heaven to you. As you accept God’s offer of salvation, tell others about it and live everyday prepared as if it is your last on this earth. Focus on Jesus who has died and resurrected and is now in heaven as your assurance that those who die is Christ are neither wasted nor left in the grave. They are seats in heavenly places with Jesus Christ. Hallelujah.
PRAYER FOR THE DEAD.
Preamble:
The mercy of God endures forever Psalm 118:2;
mercy triumphs over judgement. James 2:13;
and Jesus said "God will show more mercy on the Judgment Day to Tyre and Sidon than to you". Luke 10:14 GNT
So we can pray for whatever mercy is available after death for our loved ones. It is very comforting and reassuring. The rule of thumb in praying for the dead however is “be it done to you according to your faith.”
O Jesus, Thou suffered and died that all mankind might be saved and brought to eternal happiness. Hear our pleas for further mercy on the souls of:
My dear parents and grandparents,
My brothers and sisters and other near relatives,
My children who may go home before me
My godparents and sponsors of Confirmation,
My spiritual and temporal benefactors,
My friends and neighbors,
All for whom love or duty bids me pray,
Those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me,
Those who have offended me,
Those whose release is near at hand,
Those who desire most to be united to Thee,
Those who endure the greatest sufferings,
Those whose release is most remote,
Those who are least remembered
Those who are most deserving on account of their services to the Church,
The rich, who are now the most destitute,
The mighty, who are now powerless,
The once spiritually blind, who now see their folly
The frivolous, who spent their time in idleness,
The poor who did not seek the treasures of heaven,
The tepid who devoted little time to prayer,
The indolent who neglected to perform good works,
Those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of the Sacraments,
The habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace,
Parents who failed to watch over their children,
Superiors who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them,
Those who strove for worldly riches and pleasures,
The worldly minded, who failed to use their wealth and talent for the service of God,
Those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own,
Those who did not provide for the life hereafter,
Those whose sentence is severe because of the great things entrusted to them,
The popes, kings, and rulers,
The bishops and their counselors,
My teachers and spiritual advisors,
The priests and religious of the Catholic Church, and other denominations,
The defenders of the Holy Faith,
Those who died on the battlefield,
Those who fought for their country,
Those who were buried in the sea,
Those who died of apoplexy,
Those who died of heart attacks,
Those who suffered and died of cancer,
Those who died suddenly in accidents,
Those who died without the last rites of the Church,
Those who shall die within the next twenty-four hours,
My own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgment seat.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them: For evermore with Thy Saints, because Thou art gracious.
May the prayer of Thy suppliant people, we beseech Thee, O Lord, benefit the souls of Thy departed servants and handmaids: that Thou mayest both deliver them from all their sins, and make them to be partakers of Thy redemption. Amen.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine on them. Amen.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
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