The God of Times and SeasonsNäide

In one of the most-watched TED Talks of all time, American entrepreneur and investor Bill Gross shared the findings of his research on what determines a startup’s success. He examined five key factors, idea, timing, business model, funding, and team. He discovered, the most decisive factor wasn’t the idea or even the team, it was timing.

This must have been surprising to nearly everyone. Everyone except the wisest King Solomon. In his observation on life, he wrote that timing is one of the greatest determinants of success in business, relationships, and in every pursuit of life.

But if only God controls times and seasons, are we left to guess our way through life, hoping to find ourselves in the right one? Not quite. The Bible speaks of the sons of Issachar, men who “understood the times and knew what Israel should do”. Their strength was not in guessing, but in understanding. Understanding comes from studying patterns. Life, like nature, moves in cycles, seasons of growth, quiet, challenge, and reward. Those who take time to observe these patterns can make wiser decisions when similar seasons return.

You see this principle even in investing. Markets rise, fall, settle, and rise again. Investors who understand these patterns remain steady amid the noise because they know every dip and peak is part of a larger rhythm.

The same is true in life. Whether in your career, faith, or relationships, wisdom begins when you stop reacting to the moment and start discerning the pattern. Look back, study what has been and see how God has moved in past seasons. Those insights will guide your steps when history, as it always does, begins to rhyme.