He has made everything beautiful in its time. 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.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (ESV)
There are moments in life where everything seems to working against you. Moments where chaos, agony, suffering, hardship, and trials seem to be so overwhelming that it is difficult to see an end to the pain. These times of walking through the deep darkness of the valley where confusion, fear, and doubt are continually pressing in on you. It is in these moments of depression and fatigue that this passage speaks to me in a special way. I need to continually be reminded that this world around me, this life “under the sun” that the Preacher is talking about is not all there is or ever will be. That yearning in my heart is for eternity. A yearning for this life under the sun to give way to the future where all things are made beautiful in the light and glory of Jesus Christ. I yearn to leave this mortal world behind and find my rest in the Beautiful One of heaven who is preparing a room for me in his kingdom.
Yet, I am here in this world right now. This daily life of living under the sun may seem meaningless or a vanity when my eyes are simply focused on the here and now. This is one of the great deceptions that my heart and mind cling to. What my heart desires is a comfortable life. A life of ease. I want this because I am sinfully selfish, full of arrogance and pride. Or in the context of this passage, I want to make all things beautiful in MY time. When bad things happen, I want to argue and complain to God about why he brought these into my life. When good things happen, I want everyone to know how smart and wonderful I am. I want to be God. Again and again…
This life is not about me. This life is all about Jesus. I am important to the story in the sense that Jesus has made me an important feature of His story. From eternity past to eternity future, all of this is for the glory and majesty of my great God. So, there is no vanity in my life. There are no wasted moments. Each and every breath is a gift from my Creator. Every blessing is a gift from my loving Father. Every hardship is there for a reason. Sometimes the reasons are beyond me. My God, “who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number” (Job 5:9) There are things under the sun that just don’t make sense to my finite, limited, and sinful mind.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time.” I don’t have to make sense of this world. I don’t need to understand all that is happening in and around me. It is enough to know that God is sovereign and in control. There is not one stray atom in all the universe. God is working and in time all will be revealed, then the beauty of Christ will shine with radiance upon us all. We will all bask in the beauty, wisdom, and love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In His time and not a moment before.