与时间共舞
We are surrounded by time. All around us are clocks, watches, schedules, calendars. We say we never have enough hours in the week to do what we want to do. We constantly feel like we’re running out of time. That lost time can’t be recovered. We try to control the ticking clock, but it’s no use. Sure, we might pause a countdown (computer) – but we can’t pause life. Time keeps ticking.
我们被时间包围着。我们周围是各种钟表、手表、行程表、日历。我们总是说,这周我都没有时间做我想做的事。我们一直感觉时间不多了。时间一去不复返。我们试图控制滴答作响的钟表，但却无济于事。当然，我们可以暂停计时器，但我们却无法使生命停下脚步。时间始终在前进。
In this book of Ecclesiastes, the Quester has been trying to make sense out of life – just like many of us are trying to do right now. What he sees is that we try to reach for substance – but when we go to grasp it, it falls through our fingers. He calls it ‘hevel’ – the Hebrew word that has this picture of a mist or smoke – to describe the frustrating gap that exists between our expectations/desires and the reality of what is. As we come to Eccl 3, the Quester gives us a beautiful poem to talk about time. If you haven’t grown up in church, you might have heard this poem before. It was written back in the 60s - or as my kids like to say ‘the 1900s and 60s’ – it’s sung by groups like the Byrds and the Seekers.
So, let’s listen to the poem.
在这本传道书中，传道者一直试图从生命中得到意义 - 就像我们许多人现在正在努力做的那样。他看到的是，我们试图捕捉事物 - 但当我们去抓住它时，它就从我们的指尖滑落。传道者称其为“hevel” - 希伯来语中的单词有雾或烟的形象 - 来描述我们的期望/欲望与现实之间存在的令人沮丧的差距。当我们读到传道书第3章时，传道者为我们谱写了一首美丽的诗歌。如果你不是在教会长大，你可能也听过这首诗。它是在 60 年代，或者，我的孩子们喜欢说的“1960 年”写成的，Byrds 及 Seekers 等乐队都演唱过。
那么，我们一起听一听这首诗。
For everything, there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 [NLT])
天下万物都有定期，凡事都有定时。
2 出生有时，死亡有时；耕种有时，拔出有时；
3 杀戮有时，医治有时；拆毁有时，建造有时；
4 哭泣有时，欢笑有时；哀伤有时，雀跃有时；
5 抛石有时，堆石有时；拥抱有时，避开有时；
6 寻找有时，遗失有时；保存有时，丢弃有时；
7 撕裂有时，缝合有时；沉默有时，发言有时；
8 爱慕有时，憎恶有时；争战有时，和好有时。（传道书 3:1-8）
Did you notice that the word ‘time’ appears 29 times in that one poem? That repetition creates this cadence in the reading – ”there is a time for this/a time for that”. Regardless of what we might or might not be doing, the clock keeps ticking. There is nothing you can do to control it. The quester is telling us this because he believes understanding how time works is one of the keys to us enjoying life amidst the confusion and frustration of life. Let me mention four things to help us enjoy life with the frustrating tick-tick-tick of time:
First, to enjoy life, recognise the season you’re in (and live appropriately for that season) Perhaps in lockdown, you might be losing track of the days and hours. They all merge into each other, don’t they? But, even in lockdown, we still measure it by the level of lockdown we’re in - level 4, level 3, level 2...and that elusive level 1 and beyond. What the quester is saying is that all of life has these various seasons and levels and times. To enjoy the moment, we have to adapt the way we live to the reality of the season that we’re in.
In our poem, the quester provides 14 pairs of opposites, contrasting the highs and lows of life.
Each of these 14 sets has two polar opposites to express everything in between. We might say ‘from east to west’– we mean everything in between these. So, when he says, “A time to cry and a time to laugh. (v.4), A time for war and a time for peace. (v.8)”, these summarise the full range of human emotion. And, the Quester sees this as a comprehensive list of our life experiences.
你有没有注意到“时间”这个词在这首诗中出现了29次？这种重复构成了诗中的韵律 - “这个有定时/那个有定时”。无论我们做什么，时间都在行进。你无法控制它。传道者告诉我们这一点，因为他相信，理解时间是如何运作的，是我们经历困惑和挫折时仍能够享受生活的关键点之一。在时间前进那令人沮丧的滴答声中，让我列举四件事来帮助我们去好好享受生活：
首先，要享受生活，请认清你所处的时期（并顺势而为）。也许在封城中，你可能会忘记日子和时间。它们都并在一起了，不是吗？ 但是，即使在封城状态下，我们仍然通过我们所处的封城级别来衡量它 - 4 级、3 级、2 级……以及难以达到的 1 级及更好。传道者说的是，所有的生命都有这样不同的时期、等级和定时。为了享受生活，必须要让我们的生活方式适应我们生命所处的时期。
在诗中，传道者描述出 14 个相反的情形，对生命的高潮和低谷做了对比。
这 14 个情形中的每组都有两个对立的极端来表达两者之间的内涵。 我们说“从东到西” - 指的是介于这两者之间的一切。所以，当他说, “哭泣有时，欢笑有时” (第4节), 争战有时，和好有时 (第8节), 这概括了人类全部的情感。传道者把这当做我们人生经历的一个详尽清单。
The very fact he gives 14 of these is a way many authors conveyed a complete set. 7 is seen as a perfect number through the Bible. Since 14 is a multiple of 7, it’s a skilful way of emphasising the totality of things that we experience in life, a complete summary of our seasons. It’s made up of good times and bad times: Killing and healing; Love and hate; War and peace. But it’s not even always a straightforward “good” or “bad”. The Quester includes things like: “A time to keep silent, and a time to speak.” (v.7)
Either of these can be good or bad. It all depends on whether it is done in an appropriate way and right appropriately. That’s his point: To enjoy life, we need to recognise the season we’re in and live appropriately in that season.
Ancient life has a greater understanding of these life rhythms than we do. These four seasons dictated the nature of life and the annual rhythms of sowing, gathering, pruning, tilling. We now have electric lighting and heating. We store food in freezers and import goods all year around. So, the four seasons of the year don’t affect us in the same way. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t unique seasons in our roles and phases of life.
实际上，他给出的 14 个情形，是许多圣经作者的一种文学表述方法。 7这个数字在圣经中被视为一个完全的数字。 由于 14 是 7 的倍数，因此它巧妙地强调了我们生命经历的整个过程，是对我们生命经历各种时期的完整总结。这首诗有美好的和糟糕的时期：包括杀戮和治愈；爱与恨； 战争与和平。然而，它并不总是直接地描述“美好”或者“糟糕”的时期。传道者还列举了这样的光景：”沉默有时，发言有时” (第7节)。这些可以是好的也可以是不好的，一切都取决于是否以适当的方式和对的方法去做。
古人比我们更了解这些生命的节奏。这四个时期决定了生命的本质和一年的节奏：撒种、收割、修枝、耕作。我们现在有照明和供热。我们将食物储存在冰箱中并且贮备一年需用的物品。因此，一年中的四个时期不会以同样的方式影响我们。但这并不意味着我们的角色和人生阶段没有独特的时期。
We could talk about seasons in:
Careers - studying, begin first job, promotion, stagnant, in-between jobs, retired.
Family seasons - single, newly married, parents of a newborn and then teenagers, empty nesters.
Spiritual seasons – times we might feel incredibly close to God, and times we’re wondering what’s going on.
The Quester would say, many of our problems are confounded because we pile expectations on us that are not fit for the season that we're in.
If you’re a young parent, you’re going to be limited in energy and time. Sleepless nights. Might be on one income. Always on-demand by a little person in your home. Living appropriately in your season might mean releasing the expectation of having a house like a show home. That’s likely unrealistic. But, at the same time – there are opportunities you have all based on the season of life you’re in – like an amazing network of new friends with a similar aged newborn. To enjoy life, you need to recognise the season you’re in and live appropriately for that season.
If you’re a young adult, you’re going to be limited by experience – but you have time and energy. Release the expectation of having to have everything figured out, and seize the opportunity of the comparative freedom you have.
If you're a retired person – you might be experiencing the loss of an official role – but you have opportunities of time and wisdom and experience.
What do we often do in our season?
我们在下面谈到各种不同的时期：
职业 - 学习、第一份工作、升职、停滞不前、间断工作、退休。
家庭生活不同时期 - 单身、新婚、新生儿的父母、青少年的父母、空巢老人。
属灵的时期 - 有时我们可能会觉得离上帝非常近，而有时我们又迷惑到底发生了什么。
传道者会说，我们被许多问题所困，是因为我们对自己的期望值并不适合我们所处的那段时期。
如果你是年轻的父母，你的精力和时间将会受到限制。有许多不眠之夜。可能只靠一个人的收入养家。你家中的小不点总是有需用的。顺应这个时期的生活可能意味着先放一放想要拥有像样的房子的期望，这很可能是不现实。但是，与此同时- 你所处的这个生命时期使你拥有其他的机会 - 比如拥有一群特别棒的新朋友，他们都是年龄相仿的新生儿的父母。为了享受生活，你需要认清自己所处的时期，并顺势而为。
如果你是年轻人，你的经历有限 - 但你有时间和精力。放弃那种必须把一切都弄清楚的期望，抓住你拥有的相对自由的机会。
如果你已退休 - 你可能会失去正式工作 - 但你有时间、智慧和丰富的阅历。
我们在所处时期通常做什么呢？
Well, we complain about the season we’re in and try to push into a season that is not there for us yet – the desire to be married, the desire for our kids to grow up faster, the desire to have less work, the desire to have work. All this hinders us from being fully present at the moment we’re in. As a result, the opportunities of the season we're in slip through our fingers.
So, rather than grumble about the job loss or the injury, or the singleness or the lockdown – grab hold of the opportunity to read books you’ve always wanted to read, take extended times to pray, enjoy long conversations with friends.
Recognise the season you’re in (and live appropriately for that season).
好吧，我们抱怨我们所处的时期，并试图进到一个还没有来临的时期 - 结婚的愿望，我们的孩子更快成长的愿望，减少工作的愿望，渴望工作的愿望，等等。所有这些都阻碍了我们去充分体验我们所处的那一个时期。结果，我们处的那个时期所提供的机会就从我们的指尖溜走了。
因此，与其抱怨失业或受伤，单身或封城，不如抓住机会阅读你一直想读的书，花更长时间祷告，享受与朋友的长时间交流。
认清你所处的时期（并且顺势而为）。
There is a second adjustment we need to make if we’re going to enjoy life with the frustrating tick-tick-tick of time:
To enjoy life, realize the season you’re in now will not last (so enjoy the gifts God has placed in front of you for this moment). Seasons change. They can change incredibly fast. Lockdown reminds us of that. Four weeks ago – you were blissfully unaware that we would be in lockdown. You had plans of doing other things, right? It all changed in a matter of hours. At one moment, we’re dancing at a wedding-Unspeakable joy. Another moment, we’re mourning the loss of the one we danced with-Incredible challenge.
We laugh with a friend. Then we weep for what that ex-friend did to us. We enjoy a night at home away from the busyness of being out all the time. Then, we're plunged into lockdown for four weeks begrudging the nights at home. To enjoy life, realize the season you’re in now will not last.
If you’re in a difficult season – this should be good news for you. Maybe you recently lost your job or you’re mourning the loss of a friend, or finding locking down really hard – realize the season you’re in now will not last. What you’re feeling now will not be felt forever. There will come a day when you are laughing once again. Of course, if you’re in a happy season – a new promotion, having a first child, … I hate to break it to you–this season will not last. The quester believes that we will enjoy life more when we realize seasons change. Much of our pain comes from being blind-sided by a changing season.
So, realise the season you’re in now will not last.
如果我们要在令人沮丧的时间前行滴答声中享受生命，我们需要做第二个调整：
享受生命，认清你现在所处的时期不会持续（享受上帝在这一时刻赐下的恩赐）。时节变换，转眼即逝。封城提醒我们这一点。四周前 - 你还满心欢喜，并不知道我们将处于封城状态。你有许多其他事情的计划，对吧？这一切都在几个小时内发生了变化。某一刻，我们在婚礼上跳舞 - 说不出的喜悦。又一刻，我们为失去与我们共舞的人而哀悼 - 难以置信的挑战。
我们和朋友一起嬉笑，然后我们因为那位朋友对我们所做的而哭泣。我们享受一个在家的夜晚，远离一直外出的忙碌。然后，我们陷入了四个星期的封城，不情愿地在家里过夜。享受生命，认清你现在所处的时期不会持续。
如果你正处于艰难时期 - 这对你来说应该是个好消息。 也许你最近失业了，或者你正在为失去朋友而悲痛，或者发现封城真的很难 - 要意识到你现在所处的时期不会持续下去。你现在的感受不会永远持续下去。总有一天，你会再次欢笑起来。当然，如果你处在幸福时期 - 新的晋升，有第一个孩子，...... 很遗憾地告诉你 - 这个时期也不会一直持续。传道者相信，当我们意识到生命季节更替时，我们便会更加懂得享受生活。我们的大部分痛苦都来自于对不断变化的生命季节视而不见。
所以，要认清我们所处的时期不会持续。
Then, just 3 verses afterwards, the Quester goes back to that repeated theme he places throughout this book: “So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labour, for these are gifts from God.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
Last Sunday was Fathers Day. My kids made my day so special. I’m not a kid anymore – but when I came to the table full of gifts and cards that had my name on it – that kid part of me came alive again. The quester is saying ‘God has placed gifts in the season you’re in.’ They have your name on them. Look out for them. Open them.
Yes, you will experience frustration – but take time in whatever season you’re in – and find the gift right there. It might be as simple as the meal in front of you, the call from a friend. For me today, it is seeing our tree begin to sprout forth new leaves. Personally, I needed that reminder of a new season that is coming – as winter gives way to spring.
If you are going to enjoy life – you need to:
recognise the season you’re in
realise the season you’re in now will not last
接下来，在 3 节之后，传道者又回到了他在整本书中反复强调的主题：”我认识到，人生在世没有什么比欢乐、享受更好。 人人都该吃喝、享受自己劳苦的成果，这是上帝的恩赐。”(传道书 3:12-13)
上周日是父亲节。 我的孩子们让那一天变得非常特别。 我不再是一个孩子了 - 但是当我来到堆满写着我名字的礼物和卡片的桌子前时 - 我里面的那个孩子心再次活跃起来。传道者说“ 上帝在你所处的时期降下了恩赐。”它们上面有你的名字。 留意它们。 打开它们。
是的，你会经历沮丧 - 但无论你处于哪个时期，都要花点时间 - 并且留意在那里找到恩赐。它可能就像你面前的一顿饭，朋友的电话一样简单。 对我来说，今天我看到我们的树开始长出新叶子。 就我个人而言，我需要提醒自己即将到来的新季节 - 冬天渐渐褪去春天即将到来。
如果要享受生命–你需要:
认清你生命所处的时期
意识到你所处的时期不会延续下去
There is a third adjustment we need to make if we’re going to enjoy life with the frustrating tick-tick-tick of time:
To enjoy life, remember you’re not in charge of the seasons (so give up trying to control the seasons). There are some things listed in the poem that I CAN control but there are some things that I CAN’T control.
A time to be born, and a time to die. (Ecclesiastes 3:2) I don’t choose either of these. It’s like milk–you go to the fridge and take the milk out–‘how long has this been in there?’ Take the lid off and sniff it. You look for, what, the expiration date. I come and you come with an expiration date. It’s outside of our control.
Yes, there is a time for everything, but I don't get to schedule a time of sadness or laughter. “Hey Siri, allocate three hours for joy today and restrict 15 minutes of weeping till next week.”
如果我们要在令人沮丧的时间前行滴答声中享受生命，我们需要做第三个调整：
要享受生命，请记住，你不能掌控你的生命时节（请放弃控制生命时节的尝试）。诗歌里列举了哪些是可以掌控的事情，哪些是无法掌控的。
出生有时，死亡有时。(传道书 3:2) 这两个我们都无法掌控。这就像牛奶 - 你去冰箱把牛奶拿出来 - “这已经在那里放了多久了？”于是打开盖子闻一闻。 去寻找保质日期。 我们来到世上，我们都有到期日，这超出了我们的控制范围。
是的，万物皆有时 - 但我无法安排悲伤或欢笑的时间。你无法对着手机说：”嘿 Siri, 今天分配三个小时的快乐，并限制 15 分钟的哭泣直到下周。”
With every tick, tick, tick of the clock, we need to remember that we don’t know what’s going to happen at any given month or day–or even second. That’s why the Quester immediately follows on from this beautiful poem with a rhetorical question: “So, what do people really get for all their hard work?” (Ecclesiastes 3:9) Talk about a kidney punch! “I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:10-11).
He says, ‘there are moments of pure wonder. After all, God has placed ‘eternity in our hearts.’ We see the beauty of the way it’s meant to be, traces of Eden. But then we also experience life east of Eden, the reality of what actually is in a fallen world.
One moment we stand in amazement and awe. Another moment we are left confused trying to make sense of it all-floodings, the pandemics, terror events, weeping, hating, waring. That, my friends, is the tension we have between being an eternal being in a finite body. It's this ongoing tension between the fleeting world and the forever world. We see enough of the grand design–yet the big picture dissipates through our fingers. Internally, we have a hunger for a bigger picture – but we can’t grasp the big picture. We have the capacity to ask why. But, not the capacity to fully understand the why.
Perhaps during the lockdown, you have got an old jigsaw. There is nothing better than to pass hours away by assembling a jigsaw puzzle. What the quester is saying is that there is a big picture for everything that happens under the sun. The problem is that we have only a few of the pieces in front of us. What’s more - we don’t have the cover with the picture. So, some of the moments of my life are like holding a handful of pieces and trying to get an idea of the picture. It’s all a puzzle.
伴随着时钟的滴答声，我们需要记得，我们不知道，在任何给定的月份或日期、甚至下一秒会发生什么。这就是为什么传道者立即从这首美好的诗歌中提出一个反问：”那么，人劳碌做工有什么益处呢？” (传道书 3:9) 说着给出重击！”我察觉上帝给世人重担，使他们忙碌不休。祂使万事各按其时变得美好，又把永恒的意识放在人心里，人却不能测透上帝从始至终的作为。” (传道书 3:10-11)
他说，‘有一些时刻纯属神迹。毕竟，上帝已经将“永恒放在我们心中”。我们看到了它原本所呈现的美好，伊甸园的痕迹。但随后我们也体验了伊甸园以东的生活，这是一个堕落世界的现实。
一时间，我们感到惊奇和敬畏。又一刻，我们又在试图理解眼前发生的这一切时感到困惑--洪水、流行病、恐怖事件、哭泣、仇恨、战争。我的朋友们对于我们是有限的身体存在、还是永恒的存在有分歧。这就是转瞬即逝的世界和永恒的世界之间持续存在的较力。我们已经看到了宏伟的设计 - 但那巨大的蓝图却在我们的指尖消散了。在我们内心，都渴望有一个更大的蓝图 - 但我们无法把握那巨大的画面。我们有能力问为什么。但是，没有能力完全理解它。
也许在封城期间，你有一个旧拼图。没有什么比通过拼装拼图来消磨几个小时更好的了。传道者所说的是，日头底下发生的一切都有一个大蓝图。问题是我们面前只有几个拼图。更重要的是 - 我们没有这图片的封面。所以，生命中的一些时刻就像拿着一把拼图并试图看清整幅画面。这都是一个拼图游戏。
How do I make sense of my cousin getting bowel cancer when she had young kids at home? How do I make sense of events being cancelled by a pandemic? Every once in a while I find the corner piece. It feels more settled. Or, two pieces snap together and I might see a pattern – but I still don't get all of it. The big picture still eludes us. We can’t grasp how a billion lives and a thousand generations and unspeakable sorrows and untold joys are all pieced together into a beautiful picture of redemption.
Throughout the book, the Quester believes that the key to enjoyment in life is embracing our frailty and limitations. So when he talks about time, he wants us to remember: We are enclosed within time’s bounds; that while we have a hunger for eternity–we are living in a finite body and fleeting world. He wants us to realize that we’re not God–so stop pretending like we’re in control of it all or that we can understand it all. Because, to enjoy life, you need to accept the boundaries of your creaturely existence.
To enjoy life, the Quester says, remember you’re not in charge of the seasons (so give up trying to control the seasons).
我该怎么理解我的表妹患上肠癌，她家中还有年幼的孩子？我如何明白因为疫情而取消了的活动？每当我找到四角的拼图时，我就觉得有谱了。或者，两块拼合在一起，我可能会看到一个部分 - 但我仍然无法看到全景。那个大画面始终躲躲闪闪并未呈现出来。我们无法理解数十亿人的生命，一千代人，难以言喻的悲哀和无尽的欢乐，是如何拼凑成一幅美丽的救赎图画。
在整本书中，传道者认为享受生命的关键是拥抱我们的脆弱和局限性。因此当谈论到时间，他要我们记得：我们是被封闭在有限的时间里；而且，当我们渴望永恒时，我们生活在一个有限的肉体和转瞬即逝的世界中。他希望我们意识到，我们不是上帝，所以不要假装我们可以控制这一切，或者我们可以参透这一切。因为，为了要享受生命，你需要接受做为受造物而存在的限制。
要享受生命 - 传道者说 - 记住你不能掌控生命的时期（所以放弃试图控制生命时期）。
There is a final adjustment we need to make if we’re going to enjoy life with the frustrating tick-tick-tick of time:
To enjoy life, reset your focus to trust God to put right all that has gone wrong. While I can’t see all the big picture, I do know One who can see the big picture AND will bring all the pieces together. The Quester talks a little about this: “I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. …God will call the past to account.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14, 15) The reason we can trust God with the times of our lives – it’s that God will dial back all of time and bring justice to everything that needs it.
My story has plenty of unanswered questions. There are broken characters, jarring interruptions, unexpected joys, relationships caught up in unresolved tensions and difficulties. Though many of the pieces don’t fit, what gives me hope is that–ultimately–God will assemble all the pieces and put right all that has gone wrong. If I am going to enjoy life–especially amidst the hevel–I need to trust that God will put right all that has gone wrong.
The Quester was writing in a B.C. world. I want the quester to know about the lengths God has already taken to put things right. After all, the story of the gospel is that God stepped into a world governed by time. In the NT, the Apostle Paul says, ‘But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son.’ (Galatians 4:4) Elsewhere he writes, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (Romans 5:6)
Jesus rose too at the time that the Scriptures had promised. He experienced the full range of emotions from the Questers poem - times of weeping and laughing. He knew the time to heal, to teach, to mend, to tear. He knew when to keep silent and when to speak out. The story of the gospel says there is another time coming when he will return and put right all that has gone wrong. He is often called the alpha and omega, the beginning and end. Friends, time is in his hands. That’s why we can trust him with each moment of the day.
如果要在焦虑的时间前行滴答声中享受生命，还有最后一个需要我们去做的调整：
要享受生命，重新调整你的关注点，要相信上帝会纠正所有的错误。虽然我看不到全局，但我知道有一位能看到大局并将所有部分整合在一起的上帝。传道者提到了一点这样的话题：”我知道，上帝所做的都会存到永远，谁也不能增减 …上帝使过去的事再次出现。” (传道书 3:14-15) 我们相信上帝所赐予我们生命时间的原因是–上帝会寻回已过的事，为一切需要的伸张正义。
我的故事里有很多悬而未决的问题。有破碎的性格，扎心的意外变故，意想不到的快乐，陷入未能解决的紧张和困难的人际关系。尽管有许多拼图碎片，但给我盼望的是 - 最终上帝会拼起所有的拼图，并纠正所有出错的地方。如果我要享受生命 - 尤其是在虚无中 - 我需要相信上帝会纠正所有的错误。
传道者在公元前写作。我想传道者知道上帝已经花了很长时间来纠正问题。福音的故事是上帝介入到一个受时间支配的世界。在新约中，使徒保罗说：”然而，时候一到，上帝就差遣自己的儿子借着一位女子降生，并受律法的约束” (加拉太书 4:4) 他还在别处写道：”当我们还软弱无助的时候，基督就在所定的日期为罪人死了。” (罗马书 5:6)
耶稣也在圣经所应许的时间复活了。祂经历了传道者诗歌中描述的全部情感 - 哭泣和欢笑。祂知道治愈、教训、修复、哭泣的定时。祂知道沉默和大声放言的定时。福音的故事说，在某一时刻，祂会再来纠正一切的错误。祂常被称为阿尔法和欧米伽/起初和末了。朋友们，定时掌握在祂的手中。这就是为什么我们可以在一天中的每一时刻都信祂。
So we have more revelation that the Quester had – but even then we still don't know how all these pieces connect together. What we can know is that one day the pieces will one day connect and that God will put right all that has gone wrong.
If we’re going to enjoy life, we need to be in a relationship with the One who is in charge of time. If we are going to enjoy life, we need to trust Him with our time.
The Psalmist summed it so well: “I trust in you, LORD… my times are in your hand” (Psalm 31:14-15)
所以我们有超过传道者的启示 - 但即便如此，我们仍然不能参透所有这些拼图是如何连接在一起的。我们能知道的是，终有一天，这些拼图会被连接在一起，上帝会纠正所有的错误。
如果我们要享受生命，我们需要与掌管时间的那一位建立关系。如果我们要享受生命，我们需要把时间交给祂。
诗人的结语写得真好：”然而，耶和华啊，我依然信靠你… 我的时日都掌握在你手中” (诗篇 31:14-15)
So, the Quester has given us four adjustments we need to make if we’re going to live well amidst the frustrating tick-tick-tick of time. If there were one of these four that you most need to grab hold of in order to help you enjoy life amidst the frustration and hevel, what would it be?
#1 Recognise the season you’re in
Q: What might it mean to live more appropriately in this season?
Q: What expectations should be released? What opportunities can be seized?
所以，如果要在时间前行的滴答声中过好日子，传道者启发我们四个需要调整的要点。如果最需要抓住这四点中的一点来帮助你在挫折和虚无中享受生命，那会是什么？
#1认清你所处的生命时期？
问题：顺势而为可能意味着什么？
问题：应该舍弃哪些预期？而要抓住哪些机会？
#2 Realize the season you’re in will not last
Q: How might I prepare for a changing season?
Q: What gift might God have in front of me to enjoy in my current season?
#2 认识到你所处的时期不会延续下去
问题：我如何预备即将变化的时期？
问题:我目前所处的时期里，上帝可能赐下的恩赐是什么？
#3 Remember you’re not in charge of the seasons
Q: In what ways might I be trying to control things I can’t control?
Q: To what extent do I realise my limitations as a finite being in a futile world?
#3 记住你并不能掌控你的生命时期
问题：我可能会以哪些方式试图控制我无法控制的事情？
问题：作为一个在虚无世界中的有限存在，我在多大程度上意识到自己的局限性？
#4 Reset your focus to trust the One who will put right all that has gone wrong
Q: Am I in good company with Jesus? If not, am I ready to pray with someone today?
Q: To what extent am I trusting Him with the ‘pieces’ of my life that I don’t understand?
#4 重新聚焦并且相信可以纠正全部错误的那一位
问题：我与耶稣相处得好吗？ 如果没有，我今天是否准备好和某人一起祷告？
问题：在多大程度上我将生命中不能参透的“拼图”交托给祂？
Which one are you? Why not discuss it with people in your bubble after the service today. But, right now, with these questions still in front of us – let’s talk to Jesus about these.
你选哪一个？为何不尝试在主日敬拜后与你的泡泡里的人聊一聊。但是现在，带着我们面前的这些问题–让我们与耶稣交通。
Prayer / 祷告
Jesus, the alpha and omega, the one who created time, and the one who entered into time as One of us. It’s good to know that you understand the futility of life here and now. It’s really good to know that you’re doing something about it. Help us to trust you. Help us to realise we’re not in charge. Help us to be present at the moment we’re in and enjoy the gifts you give to us in the here and now.
主耶稣，阿尔法和欧米茄，创造时间的那一位，作为我们中的一员进入时间的那一位。你看透了此时此地生命的徒劳。你在这些虚空中做工。帮助我们相信你。帮助我们认识到我们无法掌控一切 。
