The book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible offers profound wisdom about the cycles and seasons of life. One of the most well-known passages is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, which poetically describes contrasting times and purposes under heaven.
Verse 6 specifically mentions “a time to search and a time to give up.” This expresses the truth that there are appropriate occasions for seeking, pursuing, and striving – but also pivotal moments where it becomes wise to let go and cease from striving. How do we know the difference? When is it time to keep searching, and when is it time to surrender and move on?
The Context of Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes provides a truthful assessment of life “under the sun” (from an earthly perspective). Written by a king in his latter years, the book highlights the vanity and futility of living for worldly goals alone. Wealth, pleasure, labor, wisdom, and success all prove futile when pursued as ends in themselves (Ecclesiastes 1:14).
Yet the Teacher (as the author refers to himself) does not promote total despair. He concludes that the best life consists in simply enjoying God’s good gifts day to day, accepting His sovereignty over time, and fearing Him as Judge (Ecclesiastes 3:12-14, 11:9-10). The times and seasons are in God’s hands.
A Time to Search
Clearly, there are seasons in life when it is appropriate and wise to search diligently for something. We search for truth, for meaning, for purpose. Young people embark on a quest for identity, vocation, and causes worth pursuing. We search for solutions to problems, answers to questions, and knowledge to inform our decisions.
The scriptures encourage searching as an aspect of seeking the Lord. “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). God rewards those who earnestly seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus exhorted, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7).
Seasons of searching are common when pursuing noble goals. A righteous cause may require persistence and sustained effort before victory is finally achieved. The apostle Paul testified that he pressed on faithfully towards the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14).
A Time to Give Up
If there are appropriate times to seek and search diligently, there must also be times when it becomes wise to give up and cease from striving. We live in a fallen world – situations arise which defy perfect solutions. Fruitful labor comes to an end. Some worthy goals remain out of reach.
Ecclesiastes acknowledges the obvious truth that seasons exist when it no longer makes sense to strive. “What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:3). No amount of labor can definitively overcome the curse of a fallen world. Wisdom understands when it is time to accept what cannot be changed.
Giving up is appropriate when continued striving threatens health, relationships, integrity, or life balance. At times we stubbornly persist in efforts that God’s providence indicates we should surrender. Doors He closes we attempt to force open. Such obstinate striving easily turns into sinful rebellion against the Lord’s purposes.
Learning when to cease, when to walk away, when to surrender in wise submission – these skills are essential when living within the seasons God appoints. “My times are in your hand,” David acknowledged (Psalm 31:15). Our search for meaning must align with His times and seasons.
How to Discern the Time to Search from the Time to Give Up
Since Scripture exhorts us both to search diligently and also to accept times of surrender, how can we discern between these contrasting seasons? Several principles apply:
- Pray for discernment and examine your heart motives. Why am I pursuing this goal? Is my motive to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness or my own selfish ambition?
- Study God’s word to renew your mind according to His purposes. The goal is conforming your will to His (Romans 12:2).
- Seek wise counsel. What do mature believers advise in this situation (Proverbs 12:15, 19:20)?
- Take concerns to God in persistent prayer. Listen for His direction and watch for providential signs of doors opening or closing.
- Maintain patience, waiting on God’s timing and trusting His sovereignty (Psalm 27:14).
- Be ready to accept disappointments as from the Lord. His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).
- Discipline yourself to live within biblical priorities. What is truly important from an eternal perspective (Matthew 6:33)?
With prayerful reliance on the Spirit’s guidance, we gain discernment to know times of diligent seeking versus situations calling for surrender. As we walk closely with God, He leads us step by step within each appointed season.
Biblical Examples of Discerning Between Searching and Giving Up
Scripture provides real-life examples of godly people who learned to transition between persisting in hope and humbly accepting situations requiring surrender:
- Abraham: God called Abraham to embark on a journey to an unknown land, promising to bless him abundantly (Genesis 12:1-3). Abraham faithfully searched for God’s city throughout his sojourn in Canaan, not seeing the fulfillment but persevering in hope (Hebrews 11:8-10). Yet when Sarah remained barren decade after decade, at the appointed time Abraham accepted this limitation and adopted Eliezer as heir (Genesis 15:1-4).
- David: Much of David’s life exemplified passionate searching – as a shepherd pursuing lost sheep, as a warrior relentlessly chasing enemies, and as a king seeking God’s heart to establish righteous rule in Israel. Yet when his infant son died, David humbly accepted that the child would not return to him. He ceased striving and worshipped God in surrender (2 Samuel 12:15-23).
- Paul: The apostle Paul searched tirelessly throughout his missionary journeys to preach Christ and plant churches. Yet when his efforts provoked fierce opposition, and legal appeals proved unfruitful, Paul surrendered to imprisonment in Rome. From that restricted context he continued ministry through letters and influence on guards and Caesar’s household (Acts 28:30-31).
Godly wisdom discerns proper timing. When doors remain open we should diligently press through in faith. And when God sovereignly closes doors and calls us into seasons of acceptance, we must bow in humble submission to His providence.
Practical Examples of Discerning Between Searching and Giving Up
How might we apply these principles in everyday situations today? Consider these examples:
- Relationships: Persistently seek reconciliation in relationships if there is hope of restoration and both parties are willing to work toward healing. But humbly accept relational brokenness that remains irreparable despite sustained prayer and effort.
- Career: Diligently develop professional skills and search for open opportunities to advance in a vocation. But surrender upward progress when faced with ceilings that cannot be burst through. Accept honing faithfulness and character in less prominent roles.
- Ministry: Passionately pursue ministry goals that align with spiritual gifting and point to Kingdom purposes. But release expectations when God’s providence clearly closes doors and reorients your calling in unexpected directions.
- Healing: Fervently seek wholeness through prayer, wise counsel, and appropriate medical resources. But humbly accept lingering thorns in the flesh that God’s sovereignty allows despite persistent crying out.
- Justice: Tirelessly pursue righteous causes through activism, community organizing, legal appeals, and public campaigns. But recognise seasons when laws remain unchanging, policies stay entrenched, and surrender to the slow timeline of God’s heart-changing work becomes the faithful response.
In all things, the Holy Spirit patiently teaches us to accept the seasons God appoints. As we grow in discernment through His word, prayer, and counsel, we transition gracefully between times to search and opportunities that call us to give up and trust.
The Blessing of Accepting What We Cannot Change
Why does God appoint seasons when He calls us to surrender and cease from striving, even when hopes remain unfulfilled? Because these situations provide fertile ground for growing in Christlike character:
- Faith: Giving up when we’ve persistently sought teaches dependence on God’s power and timing rather than our own (2 Corinthians 12:9).
- Hope: Letting go of what cannot be attained now anchors hope more firmly in eternal promises (Hebrews 11:1).
- Love: Accepting limitations requires embracing God’s providence leading to joyful contentment in every situation (1 Timothy 6:6-8).
- Peace: Ceasing striving replaces fruitless anxiety with grateful prayer and the peace of God (Philippians 4:6-7).
- Wisdom: Acknowledging human limits births deeper humility and wisdom grounded in God’s transcendent knowledge (Proverbs 3:5-7).
While giving up our agendas feels like loss, it ushers in eternal riches as Christ’s life is freely poured into yielded vessels. The eye of faith perceives profound holy purpose in times of godly surrender.
Waiting on the Lord in Times of Surrender
Seasons of giving up striving provide space to anchor our hope in God’s faithfulness. The prophet Isaiah described how true strength and courage arise as we wait quietly for the Lord’s powerful work in His timing:
But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.
(Isaiah 40:31)
Rather than impatiently pursuing our own agenda, God invites us to exchange frantic activity for confident rest in Him. As we relinquish what lies beyond reach, divine possibilities open to transcend our limited vision. What awaits in the unknown future often proves worth the waiting.
1. Wait with Faith in God’s Character
Seasons of surrender require deep trust in God’s flawless integrity. He remains perfectly loving, wise, and all-powerful even when circumstances confuse us. What we know of God becomes our unshakable rock. Abraham “grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised” (Romans 20:20-21). As we cease striving, we agree with Job that God’s purposes are “too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3).
2. Wait with Hope in God’s Promises
God often gives just enough light for the next step without fully revealing the outcome. As Abraham wandered in the Promised Land as a nomad, God pointed him to a heavenly city “whose designer and builder is God” (Hebrews 11:10). Our hope rests securely in God finishing the story, though we only glimpse hazy outlines. “We wait for the blessed hope – the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
3. Wait with Endurance Through Difficult Seasons
Waiting tests endurance and patience. The psalmists cry out honestly through seasons of darkness. Yet resistance gives way to submission. “I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit” (Psalm 40:1-2). As we wait, God develops tenacious hope that withstands delay. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7).
The Reward of Aligning Our Searching with God’s Seasons
At times God powerfully advances His purposes through seasons of faithful human striving. Yet at other pivotal moments He calls us to surrender and trust. Discerning these contrasting times rightly is a crucial life skill.
As we learn the rhythm of diligent searching and patient waiting, we gain deeper insight into His wise ways. Though we walk through dark valleys, God never leaves or forsakes us (Psalm 23:4, Deuteronomy 31:8). Seasons of searching and surrender work together to reveal His loving plans.
The Teacher of Ecclesiastes concludes: “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). As we entrust ourselves to the times and seasons God sovereignly ordains, He who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6). Our searching finds its ultimate meaning and fulfillment in aligning with His eternal purposes.