Have you ever been disappointed with your life? Has there ever been a time in your life where you found yourself saying, “What’s the use?” Life can do that to us. We work hard—at our job, at our ministry, at school, on our relationships. And then comes that time when you stop, and look it all over and ask, “Does it even matter?” I think we have all been there. Some may be there right now. If you find or have found yourself in this dilemma, most of the time, the reason is that we are relying on too much of ourselves, or too much of this world instead of looking beyond all this and realizing that we are made for so much more than this. Let’s take a look at this same dilemma Solomon found himself in as he wrote about it in the book of Ecclesiastes. PRAYER.
The first patent for the treadmill was issued in 1913, but that wasn’t the first treadmill. The treadmill had already been used as a punishment device in the prisons. Some today might say that nothing has changed. Whether it’s used for exercise or punishment, a treadmill still requires the expense of energy to go nowhere. Sometimes, life feels like that. We put effort into relationships, work, family, and more, and it feels like we’re going nowhere.
The first several verses of Ecclesiastes capture this reality well and sum it up in one word: Futility. When we think of Solomon in the Bible, we usually think of him as the wisest person to ever have lived. He was wealthy beyond imagination. He was
powerful and influential throughout the known world. He had the ability to pursue anything that he wanted. And yet, despite it all, he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes, a text which we might find to be difficult if not depressing. Despite all his resources, Solomon reflected on how meaningless it all was.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 – “The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Absolute futility. Everything is futile.” 3 What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?”
We have already pretty much admitted that there have been times in our lives when we have been disappointed. But maybe we are looking at disappointment from the wrong point of view. Allow me to explain.
Solomon was systematically examining every part of life under the sun. He looked closely at pleasure, work, time, knowledge, and even wisdom itself. And with each one found that there was always something missing. Everything left him wanting for more. And, as you read the book of Ecclesiastes, you will find that, that's the recurring theme throughout the book. After each aspect of life is examined, Solomon found it all to be futile. Every time!
Every component of life was destroyed—crushed under the weight of expecting more. With each and every aspect of life, Solomon found that it couldn't provide the kind of satisfaction that we want. And with each one we find ourselves eventually disappointed. Work never truly satisfies. Pleasure is never enough. Knowledge is never fulfilling.
And that essentially is the bad news of the book of Ecclesiastes. Whenever, we look to anything under the sun for fulfillment and satisfaction, we'll eventually cry out as Solomon did, "It is all futile." But even though that's the bad news of Ecclesiastes, it is also the good news. As you read the book, you'll find that it's more than just disappointment, it's disappointment by design. God caused it to happen so that we would certainly look for more. Disappointment is an opportunity to look elsewhere. You may be beginning to see the point behind it all.
God has made all these things in such a way that they will crumble. And with everything crumbling, we're reminded of the vanity of everything under the sun when we put too much weight on it. As we're reminded of this, we have to refocus our expectations on something that won't crumble under that weight of life.
And the way that God planned it all, this isn't a lesson learned only once. It's one that we need to be reminded of again and again. If we really think deeply about it, I think we can all agree that we constantly look for things of this world to do what they were never meant to do. We put weight on these things that they were never meant to carry. But every time they crumble and every time we're disappointed, that disappointment is an opportunity to look elsewhere.
Ecclesiastes 1:4-7 – “A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it hurries back to the place
where it rises. 6 Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles. 7 All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.”
Linda spoke 2 weeks ago about the choices that we make in life. When the things of this world become futile, we can choose another route. We can choose to live faithfully the life God has given us.
Solomon reflects on the natural rhythm to God's creative order. The sun rises and sets regularly. The wind blows in different directions and at different speeds depending on the time of year. The days, months, and eventually years pass by and with them so also pass generation after generation of people. You might say that the people are the most variable component of all. Our little lives, which may last 70 or 80 years, are just a blip on the radar of God's created order. We're here one minute and gone the next.
When we hold that up against the backdrop of the rest of creation, our lives are short. Just a vapor. And this can surely cause us to feel that it is all futile. What is one life worth in the midst of the huge circle of life? If we're not careful that type of thinking can send us to 1 of two extremes: Laziness or panic.
Laziness - We believe that because life is so short and the world keeps spinning around, what we do with this life doesn't matter at all. We think that we can't possibly hope to make a difference. So, in laziness, people don't do anything at all with their lives
Panic - We think that because life is so short and the world keeps spinning, every day has to be the best day. We have to live at a dizzying pace. Making sure there are no moments wasted. Because after all, we don't know which moment will be our last. So, we panic. Between those two negative ditches in the road, is the road of faithfulness. Through all of this futility, we can choose to live faithfully the life God has given us, in the time He has given us, for as long as He has given it to us. But we have to choose.
Ecclesiastes 1:8-10 – “All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say.
The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing. 9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun. 10 Can one say about anything, “Look, this is new”? It has already existed in the ages before us.”
Depressing, right? I will admit that without God, what we do in life doesn't really matter. Not only is life pointless without God, but it also doesn't satisfy. Solomon is a prime case of this. He had great resources and was able to chase any of his dreams. Whether it was education, food and drink, or sexual gratification, Solomon found that his thirst couldn't be quenched. His hunger wouldn't go away.
So the result was a constant sense of disappointment. What promised to be new and exciting was really just a warmed-over version of something else. That brings us back to our question in the beginning. Has there ever been a time in your life when you found yourself saying what's the use? God wants us to realize that whatever in this world promises to be fulfilling inevitably falls short.
What is it with things that are old or things that are new? We live in a day and time that is fascinated with the new. We crave innovation. We long for further development. We want the fresh. We worship the idol of the new. But according to Solomon, the problem is there's really nothing new under the sun.
But is that really true? When we look around our world of technology, surely we've seen the opposite of there not being anything new. We have technology in our pockets that can do things that wasn't even thought about in the previous generations. How can there be nothing new?
Yes, especially from a technology standpoint, there are new things happening all the time; new devices, new platforms, new ways to transmit information. But when we think about it, each one of these new things brings with it the same old problems. They promise us happiness and fulfillment. And yet once again, we find ourselves disappointed when the new that they promise never truly delivers on what our hearts want. So, when we think about it that way, there's nothing really new because every new innovation carries with it the same sense of disappointment.
We should be cautious about looking to the future as some kind of utopia where all of our daily problems will be solved. They won't! We'll have the same pain, the same frustration, and the same sense of loss with the new that we have with the old. All of this new stuff may tickle our senses, but the new can't really reach our heart. That's where the real struggle comes in. And that's where we should be paying the most attention.
Rather than believing the false promise that the new will finally bring us the fulfillment that we have searched for, we should look deep inside and acknowledge the fact that maybe the problem isn't with things that are old or things that are new. Maybe the real problem is deep within ourselves.
Ecclesiastes 1:11-14 – “There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them. 12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied. 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.”
Solomon had quite a resume. He was king over Jerusalem. He had a keen mind, adventurous nature, and abundant resources. He had every opportunity to finally find what truly satisfies and he did his best. The Bible reminds us several times of Solomon's great wealth, his great appetite for pleasure, and his great power and influence. But despite all of that, he couldn't escape the feeling of futility. He compared it all to chasing the wind.
Let's think about that for a moment. Is there something that you've been chasing after? Have you pursued other things in the past thinking that it would bring you happiness only to find that once you received it, you still were not fully satisfied?
When we chase after the things of this world, God is teaching us that it is like chasing after the wind. Just like we can't determine the ending point of the wind, the same is true in the pursuit of those things that will never truly satisfy. There's no end, no matter how much effort or how many resources we expend.
In our pursuit of the things of this world, we might gain some power, or prestige, or pleasure, but even then we'll find ourselves wanting more. The pursuit of these meaningless things in the end will leave us exhausted. We'll find ourselves at the end of our ropes just like Solomon did with nothing but failure to show for the great amount of time and energy that we've invested.
There are really only two real conclusions that we can come up with when thinking about these failed pursuits. First, we can say that God is cruel. And he's demonstrated that cruelty by giving us a miserable, exhausting, and unfulfilling way to live. But we know that doesn't describe our God. The second conclusion is that we were made for something different, something more than seeking after the next thing.
Yes, just like the message title states, We were made for so much more. One of the sure ways to reaffirm this is to turn to the New Testament. Jesus clearly stated what we should be searching for.
Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.”
You see, when we seek God first, God provides what we need. So now, let's apply all of this practically. Look at what God said through His prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 55:1-2 – “Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! 2 Why do you spend silver on what is not food, and your wages on what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and you will enjoy the choicest of foods.”
Our lives are a constant rhythm of depletion and renewal. For instance:
- We deplete our reserves of calories and we feel hungry. We're renewed when we eat. And then we do it again.
- We deplete our reserves of energy and we feel tired. We're renewed when we sleep. And then we do it again.
- We deplete our reserves of hydration and we feel thirsty. We're renewed when we drink. And then we do it again.
These rhythms are so natural to us, so often repeated, we don't even think about them anymore. We simply respond when we sense the depletion and then experience the renewal.
But when it comes to our souls, the process is less natural. It takes more conscious thought and intentional choice because of our tendency to try and deal with the depletion we're experiencing using lesser means of renewal.
Think of it this way. Imagine for a moment your daily rhythm. You've been working all morning, busy with meetings, agenda times, and to-do lists. You've been concentrating hard and that concentration is suddenly interrupted by a loud grumble from your belly. You're clearly hungry and your reserves have been used up. And you are in need of renewal. But instead of eating a sandwich, you lay down and try to take a nap.
This is a lot like what happens when it comes to our spiritual lives. We feel this deep need, some sort of depletion. Something is missing. Maybe it's a depletion of joy or gratitude, or contentment, or peace, or whatever. Instead of recognizing that spiritual depletion for what it is, we misunderstand what we're truly feeling and look to some false or lesser means of renewal. We tend to look to worldly things to satisfy that desire. So, we take a nap instead of eating a sandwich.
Do you see what God is trying to tell us today? We get into that situation when our soul feels depleted and along comes the invitation from God. It's an invitation to everyone who has come to the end of their rope, who are depleted, who need renewal, who are disappointed. God speaks to our hearts today and is telling us that when we find ourselves in need of renewal, because once again, we've been disappointed by the things of the world, when we find ourselves in need of spiritual renewal, we can accept His invitation and what He provides.
So Jesus invites us today:
John 6:35 – “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty again.”
Let’s learn from Solomon’s writings. Why not let Jesus fill that empty spot in your life? Come to Him now, as we pray.
