Pray

Read: Ecc 3:9-11.

Meditation

Solomon has challenged our perception of the good life, showing us that life as a gift from God is itself a goodness to be thankful for. And yet, the question stubbornly persists, doesn’t it? Is there any good in life? We still want and desire what is good, and with the brokenness of the world around us, the question is pressing. And Solomon has more to say to us. Because believing in God is not just about some cold-hearted fatalism. No, what Solomon will go on to show us is that this longing in our hearts, this too, is a gift from God.

And so the first thing he says in verse 11 is that he assures us that there is good in life. It’s not just an endless misery fest. It’s not a hopeless enterprise where we are doomed to despair and pain. In verse 11 we find this wonderful affirmation: He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Life is God’s gift, and everything is part of his wonderful and beautiful plan.

And so we may ask: iI there anything good in life? My friend, in God’s plan, let me tell you with absolute certainty that everything in life is beautiful. Every single thing in existence plays its part in a symphony so magnificent, so breathtakingly beautiful, so astoundingly good, that no eye has seen it, no ear has heard it, no heart has imagined it. And note carefully that word: everything. He has made everything beautiful. There is nothing in all existence that falls outside of his good and perfect plan—not pain, or suffering, or toil. We serve and love a good God.

We do not serve a God who takes pleasure in pain. He is not sadistic. He is not evil. He is not dark or twisted. He does not take pleasure in destruction.

Our God is a God of beauty. He is good. And everything he does is good. There is not the barest shadow of darkness in him. And we see his goodness everywhere, don’t we? He has made a world full of colour, an endless variety of flowers and fantastic creatures. He made the vastness of space and all its awe-inspiring wonders. He made people. He made laughter and kindness, and compassion, and tenderness—in fact, he is those things. When we see laughter and kindness in the face of a friend, we are seeing a reflection of God’s beauty and goodness. He is love.

And so our God is a God of beauty. He is Himself unspeakably, unfathomably, and infinitely beautiful, and the source of all goodness and beauty.

It is this sovereign God who has made all things beautiful in their time. Every single thing in existence, every leaf on its tree, every fibre of clothing, every bird on the wing, every invention and artwork, every composition of music, every second of time, every person in history—all of it has been custom-designed, minutely and perfectly, to manifest his beauty and goodness. He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Now take note here, because there is something important to see. Notice that the passage does not say God will make everything beautiful in its time. It says he has made everything beautiful in its time. Every moment has its beauty for those whose eyes are open to see it. Every created thing in every single place is beautiful as it plays its part in his plan.

Maybe you have watched a skilled artist drawing a picture. It is quite amazing to watch the picture unfolding, to see the skill of the pencil strokes, to see the mind of the artist materialise before our eyes on paper.

So it is with God, but his canvas is the canvas of creation, and his brush strokes unfold in ten thousand countless places in every single moment andmedium. History is his masterpiece, and moment by moment he is painting, always and in everything.

And so it is that Solomon reminds us of the truth: “we cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end” (verse 11). How can we possibly hold the master plan of God in our puny minds? How can we possibly conceive of the beauty that is unfolding on the canvas of history? We cannot even see it in our own lives. All we see are glimpses. We see the smile and hear the laugh of a small child as we pick them up. We hear a beautiful piece of music. Something clicks in our hearts as God reveals something beautiful to us from his word. Small adjustments. Small steps on the path of sanctification.

Now maybe you have an objection here. What about the bad things? How can God possibly say that he has made the bad things beautiful in their time? How can cancer possibly be beautiful?

Well, let me take you to a hill. It is a hill outside Jerusalem, 2000 years ago. It is dark, and there is a man on this hill, bloodied, beaten, and crucified. His lips are dry and cracked. Tears run down his face. His body has been whipped. He has been shamefully stripped and nailed to a cross. He is the very embodiment of shame. He is scorned by all. Even his loved ones are cowering and afraid at a distance. And it is worse still, because this is no mere man. This is the Son of God. Bleeding, crying out in agony. And even God himself has abandoned his Son. Mankind has met its Creator, and it has crucified him. It is ugly. It is shameful. It is the most hideous act of evil that has ever been committed under the sun.

Now let me tell you something about the cross of Christ. Because as the worst crime of humanity was committed, as the full darkness of our sin was revealed, as the ugliest thing in history transpired, as our faces were twisted and contorted in anger at him, as we whipped, beat, nailed, scorned, scoffed, and taunted him, as the most unthinkable evil in the history of the world was perpetrated, as the wrath of God for sinners was borne in full by Jesus on the cross, as the single ugliest, vilest, and most disgusting act of history was committed—in this disgrace, God was doing the most beautiful thing that has ever happened in history. He was reversing pain and suffering and evil. He was redeeming our souls.

Because from this act of redemption, in all its ugliness and pain, from this single act hearts and lives would be transformed. Souls would be rescued from the very pit of hell. Through the cross, all the evil and darkness and defilement of this world would be, has been, is being, and will be washed from the face of history. And so, as the Saviour hung bleeding and dying, we see the most beautiful sight that a sinner could ever behold. We see the sight of our Saviour redeeming us. Our life, our hope, our Christ. All our desires for goodness are wrapped up and bound up in him.

And so, how can our personal sufferings be made beautiful? The answer is simple. They are beautiful because they are miniature images of the cross worked out in our own experience. Think about that. Philippians 1:29 says: it has been granted to you not only to believe in Christ, but also to suffer for him. We image the gospel through our sufferings. We image Christ through our sufferings. And as a selfish sinner is transformed by a selfless Saviour, let me tell you, that is a beautiful sight. He has made all things beautiful in their time. And in the fullness of time, you will see the way that he has used your sufferings to draw you nearer to himself, to make you more like Christ. Is that not a beautiful thing?

We may complain about our suffering, but we really are in no place whatsoever to have an opinion on that. Are we in the place of God to judge whether or not our suffering will serve his good purposes? When God was designing the brain, do you think you would have looked over his shoulder and made suggestions? There is not one human alive who even understands the brain, much less could we possibly be in a position to judge how well it was made. No, when we look at a brain, we do not offer suggestions, we marvel. We worship God that he has made such a remarkable thing as the human brain! And God’s plan in history is no different. It is incomprehensible to us. What right do we have to think we are even worthy of an opinion? No, as we look at what is before us in our lives, it is not ours to question or complain. We need to remember who is in charge. SDG.

Prayer of Confession & Consecration

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