Everett Henes: God seeks to have purpose
God makes everything beautiful, or appropriate, in its time. Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 3:11 help us to reflect on our own approach to the happenings in our lives. It is easy to get caught up in our desires and our plans, without thinking about anyone or anything else. Moreover, it is easy to believe that we are the ones in charge of what happens. It is true that there is much we can do to impact our lives and those around us. This is undeniable. If we are kind to others, then we are likely to improve their experience and our own. We also know, though, that there are times when we can do all things well and still face trial or trauma that is not the result of our actions or choices.
Knowing that God is in control is a comfort, but what’s more is that God has a purpose. Solomon goes on to say, “Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” If we unpack these words, they make perfect sense and provide wonderful comfort. Here Solomon refers to the fact of what Paul says in Romans 1:19, “what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” Paul is speaking of how all people know God but suppress that truth in unrighteousness. It’s the same way that David writes, in Psalm 19, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
For Solomon, the fact that God is in control, that man has eternity in his heart, and that there is much we cannot fully understand leads to one clear conclusion: “I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil- this is God's gift to man.” (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
If the first principle of the text is that man knows God, here it is that God knows man. We are created in God’s image and called to reflect him. He is not a God who is lazy, but one who works. Work is not a bad word. I don’t mean that our lives should revolve around a job we might not love. I mean that we are not called to be lazy or inactive. As I often tell my students, there are 168 hours in everyone’s week. People who are successful are those who use those hours well. Solomon’s point is different. He means that God has given work for us to do. When we don’t work, we struggle to find meaning in life. It is not surprising that the rise in leisure and mindless activities has been accompanied by a rise in depression, anxiety, and even suicide.
Solomon calls us to see our lives in light of what God has done and what God is doing. “I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14) God is God and we are not. When things take place in our lives, whether for good or for ill, we are faced with a choice. If God has made us in his image and given us the work to do and made everything appropriate in its time, then we are called to be thankful in prosperity, patient in adversity, and trusting in all circumstances.
“That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.” (Ecclesiastes 3:15) Here Solomon returns to a familiar theme, there is nothing new under the sun. But there’s a twist here. After reflecting on all that happens and seeing that he is not in control, there is hope in his words.
If there is a plan and a Master Planner, then maybe the facts of history are hopeful and not discouraging. Maybe history is moving toward a glorious end, rather than simply droning on or fizzling out. Maybe it is God who is seeking his people, rather than the other way around. Solomon’s words remind us of when man was driven out of God’s presence in Genesis 3. They also remind us of Jesus’ words that the Father is seeking such people to worship him (John 4:24).
Pastor Everett Henes, the pastor of the Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church, can be reached at pastorhenes@gmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Everett Henes: God seeks to have purpose
