Hi, y’all! This week on Word Wednesday, we’re in the book of Ecclesiastes. I have to confess… This book depresses me more than Job does. There is so much futility in Ecclesiastes. I understand it and why it is there, but it can be a hard read. Still, even though there is a lot that can get you down, there is a whole lot that can lift you up too. Care to share what spoke to you in Ecclesiastes? Drop a comment below!
Ecclesiastes 11:5–Just as you do not know the pat of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.
Now that’s a challenging verse. Truth is, God does a lot of things we don’t understand. I stayed angry at Him for years after my aunt died of cancer. After all, if He was God and so loving and so powerful, why couldn’t He save her? We needed her down here! She loved Him! Couldn’t He see that? How could He do this to us? How could I ever trust Him again?
To be honest, there are days when I still struggle with that last question. But here is something He taught me when I finally told Him how mad I was. (Yes, I told Him. He’s God. He understands when we get mad at Him. And He can take it. We owe Him the respect of talking it out with Him… He doesn’t have lightning bolts poised to throw at us. He cares.) When I finally let myself talk to Him and tell Him how mad I was, I was finally able to hear Him speak. And what He said was both hard and easy. He had a reason. I don’t know or understand, but there was a reason. It was a reason that had a greater purpose than keeping her here would have had. Do I like it? No. Do I take comfort in the fact that God had a purpose? Yes. He’s not random and not out to cause us pain. He sees so much more than I do, understands so much more than I do, and that is why He runs things and I don’t.
Remember Bruce Almighty? He got into some pretty serious trouble trying to play God, thinking he knew better. How many times have I botched it all up by acting like Bruce?
I thank God that His vision is so much more far-reaching than mine, and that He never does anything without a purpose… even when I don’t understand.
-JB
Dawn Lucowitz says
So, I’m not going very deep this week with the book of Ecclesiastes. I agree with Jodie that this book is pretty depressing. There was so much in here that did speak to me, though. I liked reading this book because I felt like there was a lot of sarcasm in what was being written, or at least that’s how I imagined a lot of it. The verse I chose kinda fits me and my personality.
Ecclesiastes 11:3 – If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.
I think this verse is fantastic! I don’t think it could be any more honest or true. I think sometimes we try to search for deep meaning in things, try to pull out some additional message or something more in things we hear, see or read. What I’ve learned a lot through this challenge is that God is pretty straight forward and says things like they are. If a tree falls, there it will lie! Brilliant! Don’t get me wrong, this challenge has also taught me that I do need to go deeper in the word and pull out more meaning for my life, but it’s all about the application of what I am reading, not the words themselves. God lays it out for us. When I read lines like this in the bible, I realize that it’s not the big, intimidating book that no one can understand, like I use to look at it. It is for everyone! Even for my often simple, sarcastic mind.
Jodie says
Love this. So true. I’m working on applying things in my heart, not just learning them with my head. So hard…
Jen says
This book may have been somewhat depressing at parts, but boy oh boy, did I ever have a tough time choosing my verse! Jodie’s was one of my top choices, but the one I’m going with is Ecclesiastes 5:20…
He seldom reflects on the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
At times, I find it incredibly difficult to live in the moment. Whether it’s past hurts that resurface or worries about the future, my mind is not always 100%present. At other times, I’m so present that it all but blows me away to realize the amazing life I get to live. That’s what I think God is trying to tell us in this verse. If we spend more time in the here and now rather than in the past or the future, we’re much more likely to see the overwhelming abundance of His blessings. And isn’t it awesome to think we can be so “occupied with gladness of heart” that we don’t have time to worry?
Jodie says
I’m so with you! That has been my prayer lately, to help me live in the now. It’s so hard to do, isn’t it?
K.M. Weiland says
I used to dislike Ecclesiastes myself. But then I listened to a wonderful series Chuck Swindoll did on the subject. It was very enlightening and put the book in a whole new perspective. Highly recommended if you can find it. I’m sorry I can’t remember the series title.
Jodie says
Going to have to look for that. Thanks! I’m interested in seeing a different way to look at this one.