Though hardships come and our tears fall, God “has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:10).
What a beautiful promise from such a seemingly cynical book, Ecclesiastes.
But I believe it is the very nature of this book that makes this promise so real and hopeful. This promise of God making all things beautiful in its time is not just a feel-good, trite statement but an unshakeable truth meant to be carried deep in our souls.
It’s the very reality of Ecclesiastes being so raw, real, and, on the surface, despondent that reminds us the author—known as the preacher—was not about to share any sort of flimsy statement. The story behind the author’s life tells us that he had been given everything the world had to offer and found it didn’t ultimately satisfy. The author even suggests that at times, “Sorrow is better than laughter” (7:3) because sorrow makes us reflect on the deep things and purpose of life.
And the beauty of our tears and pain, even the unsatisfying pleasure of life, opens our eyes to the longing for something better than what life throws at us. Ecclesiastes points to the promise that there is something better than pointless pain, something even far better than short-lived pleasures.
Ecclesiastes tells us there is a God who makes everything meaningful and beautiful through Him, all the tears, the laughter, even the mundane. And it is in His love that God stirs up questions about the deeper meaning of all these things—good and bad—to not just point to the true meaning of life but also point to a desire within all of us to live beyond this short life:
“He has also set eternity in the human heart.” (3:11)
The longing for more is meant to point us to a God who makes all things beautiful in their time and has promised an eternity beyond our short lives.
“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” ––Acts 17:27
Blog was written by Kristin Nave (@shelovesbible on Instagram)
Products used in this study: Selah Bible Journaling Kit