Photo by Joshua Woroniecki on Unsplash
He has made everything beautiful in its time.
Also He has put eternity in their hearts… (Eccl 3:11 NKJV) [context– Eccl 3:1-15]
In the midst of life
The world has changed dramatically over the past several decades. And yet, many things are just as they’ve always been, especially the nature of all humans.
The emergence of IT (infotech) enables us to know and even see events and people in other parts of the world in real-time. This is both a blessing and a curse.
We can communicate with others half-way around the globe with just a slight time delay as we speak via Skype, Zoom, and other video mediums. But as events take place as “breaking news,” we lack the context of being there in person and knowing all the details within their actual context.
As much as we may want to be good stewards of our environment and climate, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, and volcanos are still beyond our control.
When we look at one slice of time when a catastrophe occurs, it’s easy to become alarmed. We’re concerned about what we can or need to do. But when we look at a larger segment of time, we can see how things have a way of resolving and people adjust and adapt to changes beyond their control.
In the midst of all life’s events is life itself.
When someone expresses thankfulness for life itself after enduring a disaster or tragedy, I’m reminded of God’s goodness shining through some of the darkest times the world has seen.
How is it possible for a person to be thankful for their life after losing their home and possessions in a wildfire?
How can people be optimistic in the aftermath of a devastating tornado or a major hurricane?
Solomon shares some insights that shed some light on this in these few verses following his reminder of the purpose and significance of the cycles and seasons of life.
Insights
Solomon, begins these few verses following his observations of the ebb and flow of life’s seasons, with a familiar lament but with encouraging insights.
What do working people gain from their hard labor? I have seen mortals weighed down with a burden that God has placed on them. (Eccl 3:9-10 GW)
Though Solomon begins his reflections about life “under the sun” with such a dark and dire tone, it seems to change here. Following his familiar lament, he gives two insightful observations related to time.
Solomon sees beauty in how God orchestrates everything according to His purposes. He observes how the events in all the cycles and seasons of life fit together in the fabric of life.
As the seasons flow from one to another within a year across the backdrop of creation, God’s purposes work together in a beautiful and complete way.
Too often this saying is true about our lives, “you can’t see the forest for the trees.” We need to view our life and the world around us as a tapestry of great beauty and design by God’s creative hand.
Solomon also makes another remarkable statement that rings true—
He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. (Eccl 3:11 NKJV)
This brief and poetic thought describes the yearning in us for something more, something greater than ourselves. Renown missionary Don Richardson tells of a universal awareness of God called redemptive analogies in cultures and peoples throughout the world in his book, Eternity in Their Hearts.
Solomon points out what he came to realize as written in Ecclesiastes. Although God places a sense of eternity in each of us, none of us can grasp all of God’s workings within eternity.
After he gives these insights, Solomon returns to the simple realization expressed earlier—
I realize that there’s nothing better for them to do than to be cheerful and enjoy what is good in their lives. It is a gift from God…. (Eccl 3:12-13 GW)
Instead of worrying ourselves with trying to understand all that takes place in the world and in our lives, we need to enjoy what is good in our lives. It’s a gift from God. Yes, even hard work is.
We’re also reminded of God’s greatness and our smallness and this awareness is both necessary and intentional. Nothing slips by God without His notice and at the end of all things, there will be an accounting and judgment based on that accounting (Eccl 3:14-15; 2 Cor 5:10).
Existential Reflections
The African-American folk spiritual He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands, which became popular in the late ‘50s, was first published in 1927. It was performed by Marian Anderson at the March on Washington in 1963 where MLK Jr gave his great speech, “I have a dream!” (see song link).
Its origin reaches back to African-American slaves working in the fields. As with so many spirituals, it was a song of assurance and hope born out of the dark drudgery of slavery. It was a song of faith seeing beyond the burden of a hard life with no escape—God has the whole world and all people in it in His hands.
Solomon was a king of great wealth and power who owned many slaves. But even he couldn’t escape the reality of his limited lifetime within the scope of eternity. He came to the same conclusion as those enslaved and forbidden their freedom who saw death as their only escape from their bondage.
When our perspective is based on eternity, we can see beyond the limitations of life on this earth. This ought to bring a sense of freedom in our hearts and minds. For, God holds the whole world in His hands, even you and me.
We are not adrift in eternity but eternity is embedded in us. All people have this whether they acknowledge it or not. God created us—all humanity—in His image.
We are not destined for an aimless life but a life with purpose. We long for something more and something greater because we were created for a greater purpose than work or wealth.
CS Lewis spoke of this longing when he said—
If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world. (from Mere Christianity)
When we know there’s more to our existence than the day-to-day routine of life, we can be content and know our lives have purpose and significance.
We are not limited by this life when we realize eternity is embedded in us.
Are you confident God has you, me, and the whole world in His hands?
Are you able to see the beauty woven into this world by God and beyond the burdens and hardships of this life?
When you need a fresh, unlimited perspective, just ask the Lord to reveal or remind you of His purpose for your life.
This is an excerpt from my newest book available on Amazon! Glimmers of Light in the Darkness of Life
The Scripture text for this devotional study can be found by clicking the blue button link– “Ecclesiastes Chap 3”
I’ve used God’s Word Translation (GW) for ease of reading but the button link will take you to the text in a parallel version with the NKJV text.
Also, for further commentary, I recommend Enduring Word by Ptr David Guzik.
