Chapter 3 contains one of the best known passages in the Bible. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” These matters are then delineated in the following verses.
The Tarot deck has a card “The Wheel of Fortune”. When this card is drawn, it says that there is a big change coming for the person whose fortune is being read. We know that things will change but there are times we forget that things will change. Even those who consult fortune tellers are looking for a hope that the wheel of fortune will turn for them. The Bible assures us that fortune will change. There is a time to be born, and a time to die. There is a time for all the activities of our lives. Some days we will feel that we are at the pinnacle of our abilities, beauty, and/or intelligence. We have to know though that tomorrow will come. There will be days when we feel that we are at the end of our abilities, beauty, and/or intelligence. For some of us, we get lost in those bad days. We think that they are totality of our existence. We have to remember that there is a time to weep and a time to laugh. It is also important to remember that these times have already been appointed by God.
How wonderful it is for us to know that even when we are at the bottom of the wheel of fortune (on some decks the wheel is shown rolling over a skeleton with outstretched arms), that we are loved. We know that this pain is temporary. We know that when the season of hurt has ended, a new season will come. The best part though isn’t only that the pain is temporary. The best part knows that somehow even in pain we cannot bear the Father who loves us is with us.
After the amazing poem about time, the preacher asks the question, “what gain has the worker from his toil?” There is so much in the passage following. Twice in the remaining verses of the chapter, we are told that a person should rejoice in his work because it is God’s gift to him. The preacher seems to be saying that work is enough. We were made to do things and we should do them joyfully.
The juxtaposition of good and bad is seen again in the remainder of the chapter. We come from dust and go back to dust. The animals die and people die. What God has done will endure forever. One of the greatest verses is tucked away here. It says “That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.” V 15
That last piece of the sentence is our joy. When I was in high school, I started moving away from God. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. I was angry at things that had happened and used that as an excuse to walk away from God. I didn’t just walk. I stomped away like an angry 2 year old. All I could see in the church was lies. (Of course it wasn’t really lies from church people, it was lies from the enemy.) It seemed so empty and fake. I was driven away-far far away. But then, God sought me. I would hear His voice through the dirtiness that was my life. I remember driving through the snow in Boise, Id with my baby in the back seat. There was a church on the street. Every time I drove by and saw the warm light streaming through the stained glass, I could hear the Father calling me home. I never went into that church but when I think of church that is the building I see. I can feel the warmth of the Father streaming out to a wayward child, arms outstretched to receive me.
God is looking for those of us who have been driven away. Even though He knows the depth of our flaws, He wants us. He delights in us. He delights in each of our little differences. I can see Him smiling with pleasure when my seven year old gets that glint in her eye and raises her left eyebrow just a tiny bit. I can feel the warmth of his love when I take a bite of something delightful and say that heartfelt praise. Our God wants us to be in communion with Him. He has given His only son so that we can be with Him. What more proof do we need that he is seeking us?
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