14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
In Ecclesiastes 3, we have seen first hand some very crucial truths:
Point #1 -- God is wise and His plan is wise.
Point #3 -- His plan is also mysterious.
Point #3 -- Even still, enjoy what He has given us.
And now finally,
Point #4 -- Rest in the sovereignty of God.
God is forever and everything He does is forever. It is complete and perfect. Man cannot add anything to what He does or take anything away. He is in complete control of the overall outcomes of life (though He does willingly give up some of that detailed control when He gives us free will).
Ultimately, He is in charge, even when we mess things up royally. Nothing phases Him or surprises Him.
His plan is unchangeably perfect.
And I must know this in my life. I need to know that He is in charge and that His plan is good, because every day is not roses and sunshine all the time, is it?
I had a really rough day in the past week. It appeared that all of my losses were being held up in my face in the course of about three hours -- I missed the people I've lost, I missed relationships that had ended, I wished things were "how they used to be" for a moment.
And then I came home and opened Ecclesiastes.
And I remembered what I've known for so long, but what I sometimes forget. I was reminded that everything that is happening now or has happened or will happen has been decreed, and everything that is happening now is going according to plan.
God is perfect and all-knowing and I am not. Though some events may not make complete sense now, God will take hold of what has passed by; He will insert that piece into the puzzle of my life and of all of His creation, and it will make sense.
I must trust Him and thank Him in everything.
The most evil injustice occurred 2,000 years ago. A perfect man died on behalf of all the sinners. He, of all people, didn't deserve any of it. He was perfect, and what did He get for it? Torture, Suffocation, Rejection, Betrayal, and Death.
Yet, God turned the most evil thing that has ever happened into the best thing that has ever happened. And today, we can celebrate because Jesus died in our place and took the punishment that we deserve.
I don't understand some of the things that happen in our lives, but Jesus does. And if Jesus trusted His Father enough to endure the cross, then I can trust my Father as I endure my crosses.
In my pain, God isn't trying to produce cynicism, but a reverent fear and trust.
His mysterious plan shouldn't repel us; it should make us bow.
Molly Monroe
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