You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Matthew 5:14-15.

The Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. Numbers 6:25 NKJV.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I hope in Him!” Lamentations 3:22-24.

When I read our chapter, Ecclesiastes 11, I’m reminded of the wisdom of human beings who see a portion of what is wise. We can’t begin to grasp the wisdom of Creator God – Father…Son…Spirit. We hold on tightly to what we believe to be wisdom and in that rigid, tight control we break and break others. I think that’s why I have such a hard time reading Ecclesiastes. I know there is wisdom but I yearn for more. Increasingly, I yearn for God’s help to understand what He would have me understand. Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return…If the clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth…Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap…As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things…Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well…Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. However many years anyone may live, let them enjoy them all. But let them remember the days of darkness, for there will be many…You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless…v. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. A lot of words. What speaks to you?

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, speaks a lot about what is meaningless. We live such busy lives pursuing what is needed to be enabled to live and provide for ourselves and others. And in the back of our minds is the question, is there more? We see the created things we did not create. Why were they created? Why this life lived in this way? Think of all the experiences we live in a lifetime and all of the emotions those experiences bring. What does it all mean and why? When you reach a point in your life where you need answers human wisdom cannot provide, remember God. Walk anew with God’s help and be patient. Old understanding needs to give way to new and deeper understanding only God can provide. I’m learning with God’s help to be patient with myself and with others because in the final analysis, I have no control. Not in the things that truly matter…eternal life with God. I thank God He is in control! Because He is in control, we can come to Him and ask for His help in understanding things too big for us. What do we find when we come to Him and not only to others who are equally hurting and confused? God’s love. God’s peace. Forgiveness. Help to forgive others and ourselves. Direction with God helping us. Life that is good lived with Him. And we find we want to share with others their stories of finding God and His love guiding them! We are in this together and God wants us to love Him and to love one another. All of creation and the lives we have lived and live still show us our need for our God who loves us. Do you need God’s love? He’s here. Always. And you can walk anew with Him!