CIRCUMSTANCES
BEYOND OUR CONTROL, PART 2
Ecclesiastes 3:11-15 (
David Bruce Linn,
Pastor-Teacher
28 August 2005
All Rights Reserved
1. FREDERICA FINDS THE FLOOR
The car pulled up to the curb of the busy Dublin
street. Frederica and Gary, who were
hitchhiking around Europe, stepped out and thanked the driver. The pillared St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral loomed
above them, representing in architectural form the authority of the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin. The
weight of doctrine seemed bound up in the very stones.
It never bothered Frederica to think it odd that she, a
lapsed Catholic and freshly-minted Hindu, would want to visit such a
place. After all, who could visit Europe
and not visit the cathedrals? Frederica
felt neither the weight of Roman Church authority nor the guiding hand of
church doctrine. Those were things she
had erased from her conscious reality at the age of fourteen. No, the cathedral was just a neat place to
tour, a piece of history, an expression of art and thought which every
pluralistic mind should experience.
They crossed the narthex and entered the sanctuary,
feeling the coolness of the stone all around them. They stopped at the last pew and their eyes
rose up the fluted columns to the carved and paneled high dome. The feel of sanctity was in the air. What person could avoid a gut-level sense of
the divine in a place like this?
Frederica mentally cataloged these feelings with those she had
experienced as she stood in the British museum at the feet of the gigantic
Assyrian winged bull from the ancient palace of Sargon II. That’s why intellectual, free-thinking
Frederica liked Hinduism. It encompassed
even this. Millions of gods were already
in the mix, and Jesus was one of these, although a late-comer added by
westerners.
Frederica and Gary divided to walk the outer walls beyond
the rows of pillars, stopping to see the devotional art--paintings, carved
Bible scenes, stained glass, and statues.
Frederica thought back to the earnest people she had met who thought
this stuff about Jesus was real.
Usually, she ridiculed them behind their backs, but when it was good for
a show of superiority, she did it to their faces. Christians are weak and stupid, but at
least they have some good art
More than once a vulnerable college student had spoken to
Frederica about her new-found faith in Christ not realizing that she had just
laid her head on the chopping block in the presence of the executioner. Frederica delighted to demolish the faith of
these naive people: “Many cultures have myths of dying and rising gods,"
she would say. "Christianity is not
even a particularly profound one. Jesus
is a myth, and if believing in him makes you feel better, that’s fine. But don’t come to me with any junk about him
being the only savior of the world. The
world has lots of saviors, and people are free to pick the one they want--if they
feel they need one. I don’t.”
In this frame of mind, Frederica walked the smooth stone
floor to the next alcove, which contained a statue of Jesus. She examined the fine work of an unknown,
dedicated sculptor. In a moment which
seemed not to be a part of time at all, Frederica found herself on her
knees. She knelt not before a religious
statue, nor before ecclesiastical authority, nor even before the well-told
story of Jesus found in the Bible. In
her inward self she sensed that she was encountering the very real person of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Without there
being any outward sound at all, she heard him say to her: I am your life
No words could have hit harder or wrought a greater
revolution in Frederica’s life. She
sensed, without fully knowing the consequences, that this moment marked an
inward turn which would change everything for her. This Christ, whom she did not even think
existed, had suddenly stationed himself among the cluttered furniture of her
heart and mind. For the first time in
her life she worshiped the One True God, Creator of the Universe, the only Savior
of the world.
Time snapped back to normal. Frederica, got up, rubbed her knees, and
tried to look like she was still browsing the religious art as before. She met up with Gary near the main
altar. She looked at him, parted her
lips, paused, and finally said nothing.
How do you describe the intrusion of eternity? She did not tell him for a week.
2. BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS
The book of Ecclesiastes is filled with contradictions of
all sorts like someone who is always saying: "I have good news, and I have
bad news." Chapter three begins by
telling us the bad news that we are caught in circumstances beyond our control:
"There is an appointed time for everything. /And there is a time for
every event under heaven-- /A time to give birth, and a time to die; /A time to
plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
/A time to kill, and a time to heal; /A time to tear down, and a time to
build up" (Ecc. 3:1-3). The
chapter goes on to pound us with many more examples of circumstances which are
beyond our control and builds to an emotional heart cry. If we are stuck like this, "What
profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?" (Ecc. 3:9).
What good is all the work we do, all the effort of life, most of which
is done dealing with things which are not of our making? Did you ever feel that way? Sometimes we just want the world to stop
spinning so that we can step off--and go where?
That's the point.
Then the book of Ecclesiastes gives us the good news: "I
have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy
themselves. He has made everything
appropriate in its time" (Ecc. 3:10-11a). All the times and seasons of our lives are
under the control of the Almighty God, and they fit beautifully into his great
plan for all things. Life is not
meaningless! Our work matters! We matter to God!
3. ETERNITY IN OUR HEARTS
The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that God has planted an
inkling of eternity in our hearts so that when we are grinding away at the
stuff of life we will know that we are connected to something vast, planned,
and meaningful beyond our experience--beyond time itself: "He has made
everything appropriate in its time. He
has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the
work which God has done from the beginning even to the end" (Ecc.
3:11). Because God has set eternity in
our hearts, when we hear his call, like Frederica did, we say to ourselves: I
know this voice.
The Frederica of my story is a real woman named Frederica
Mathewes-Green and the story was an experience she had on her honeymoon in
1974. I heard her tell this story while
I was studying at the C. S. Lewis Institute at Oxford University. She would be the last person to suggest that
God speaks to everyone in that remarkable way.
In fact, she likes to tell the story of the farmer who is trying sell a
mule to a prospective buyer. The farmer
does a great job explaining how excellent this mule is, and the buyer tries to
lead the mule around and put him through his paces. The mule absolutely will not budge. So the farmer gets out a long two-by-four,
winds up, and smacks the mule on the head.
The buyer is amazed and distressed at this, so the farmer says: "Oh,
yeah. First you have to get his
attention."
Frederica says blessed are you if God does not have to
get your attention with the same force with which he had to get hers! Ultimately, all of us encounter God simply by
hearing the story of Jesus Christ. Through
the good news God calls to us and the little implant of eternity in our hearts
answers: I know this voice. A few
of us need a two-by-four in the head!
But then the act of the will to place our trust in Christ must
come. Frederica could have chosen to
reject her experience of Christ and remain a Hindu for life. We must all choose to believe at that moment
of revelation or we will lose the opportunity.
The devil steals the word of God out of the hearts of all who fail to
accord it the worth it deserves, and the last state of that person is worse
than the first. Don't miss your
moment!
4. WHAT TO DO WHILE STUCK
The book of Ecclesiastes contains wonderful practical
advice about what we should be doing while we are stuck in our particular
time. Verse 12 begins: "I know
that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice..." (Ecc.
3:12a). We should seek to enjoy whatever
we can and thank God for it. In every
situation there is something to rejoice about.
Notice that this advice forces us to switch from the
negative to the positive. Instead of
focusing on our sadness and sorrows, God tells us to go on a hunt for the
enjoyable aspects of every situation.
Even if we are temporarily having trouble identifying those things,
people who bump into us at that point will encounter a person on the hunt for
joy. And we are far different people
when we are joy-seekers than when we are stuck in neutral, moping and
complaining.
The second part of the same verse tells us, while we are
stuck, to seek to do good wherever we can: "I know that there is
nothing better for them than...to do good in one's lifetime..." (Ecc.
3:12b). This tells us to get the focus
off ourselves and onto the needs of others.
Seeking to do good transforms every situation.
I attended a huge Christian music and teaching festival
in 1991 with my brother. I was blessed
by the worship, teaching, and fellowship--with forty thousand of my closest
friends! But what I remember most were
opportunities I had to do good. By
volunteering as an emergency medical technician I was able to reduce the cost
of my ticket and get a better camp site.
The medical facility for this temporary city in a farm field was staffed
by one doctor, several physician's assistants, some nurses, a handful of
paramedics, and some basic EMT's like myself.
There was a never-ending stream of people needing assistance. The good that I was able to do is what
matters most to me about that time. I
always ask God when I travel for opportunities to do good for someone, ranging
from giving directions to leading them to Christ. Often, those are the most significant things
about the trip. You see, the purpose of
seeking to do good changes our moment in time by shifting us from being stuck
to being empowered by God as servants of his kingdom.
Verse 13 tells us to appreciate what is good in our time:
"...Moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his
labor--it is the gift of God" (Ecc. 3: 13). Even in difficult labors in difficult times
there is some good to be appreciated. I
think that Christians have sometimes been the worst at finding the good. It is good to be realistic about sin, but the
great secret is that sometimes sinners do good things! There are pearls in oysters and jewels in the
mud.
Evangelicals have been accused of going beyond hating sin
and actually hating the world God made.
We're said to be a bunch of pessimists who are hunkering down in our
bunkers to wait for the return of Christ.
In some ways this shoe fits us.
The creation account in Genesis tells us that the world God made is
"good," though fallen. The goodness has not been completely
erased. But if there is any good to be
found in this world, believers in Christ ought to be the first to find it and
affirm it for the benefit of all.
Cambridge University is home of the Scott Polar Research
Institute which is dedicated to the study of the harsh environments in the
Arctic and Antarctic. It contains a
museum of the history of polar exploration.
On his final tragic journey Sir Robert Scott and part of his team froze
to death. I was moved to read the actual
diary of one member of the expedition who continued to write in his journal
until his death. The journal did not
say: "How sad for us! We failed our
mission, we missed the pole, and now we are dying!" On the contrary, it was a man writing to his
wife about how grateful he was for the privilege of accompanying Sir Robert
Scott. He wrote that his wife should not grieve overmuch for him since they
believed together in a God who does all things well. He wrote that his hope was set on Christ and
that he was looking forward to their being reunited in the afterlife. The display in the museum pointed out that
the journal was surrounded by shreds of burnt cloth where the explorer was
evidently warming his fingers so that he could continue writing until the very
end. If a man freezing to death in a
canvas tent in sub-zero temperatures can find a reason to rejoice, if he can do
some good by comforting his soon-to-be-grieving wife, and if he can appreciate
that even in dire circumstances God does what is good, then surely we can do
the same in much easier circumstances!
5. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
The book of Ecclesiastes smacks us with the fact that we
are caught in a world controlled by God's unchangeable and inscrutable
workings, and then reveals the best secret of all: "I know that
everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and
there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear
Him. That which is has been already, and
that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by" (Ecc.
3:14-15). Here we have a window into how
God thinks. Why has God set up a
universe where humans are stuck in his workings? So that we will worship him. The word "fear" has the idea of
having awe and reverence for God.
Most of us react to being stuck in circumstances beyond
our control by being frustrated and fighting harder to make them go our
way. Dealing with God's immovability in
this way will lead to anger and eventually depression because humans can never
overturn the decrees of God. Unbelievers
experience God's absolute rule this way, but believers do sometimes also. I know because I have done it myself!
God gives us true wisdom here: "Don't fight, my
child. All is being done according to
plan. My will is best for you. You only are stuck with respect to earthly
things. Actually, you have the greatest freedom of all--freedom from the law of
sin and death." Our being caught
like fish in the net of life should be a cause for worship. A healthy fear of the living God is a good
thing.
So the next time you feel powerless, say:
"Hallelujah! I am in the hands of
the all-powerful God!" The next
time you lack the knowledge to deal with some situation, say; "Praise the
Lord! I am held in the hands of the One
who knows all things!" The next
time your day, or year, or life takes a turn you had not planned, do not say:
"Woe is me!" Rather say:
"Thank you, Lord, Maker of heaven and earth, that you have a plan for me
that goes beyond my own." Can you
see how this shift in perspective changes everything? Suddenly your pattern of decisions will swing
into harmony with the reality of God in your life.
It is good for us to stop and appreciate the intention of
God to bless us, as spoken in his words through the prophet Jeremiah: "'For
I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and
not for calamity to give you a future and a hope'" (Jer. 29:11). Let the logic of this land on you like a ton
of bricks. The circumstances of life
beyond your control are under God's control, and if you are a believer, he is
controlling them for your ultimate benefit!
So let every experience of powerlessness drive you back to the arms of
your heavenly Father to worship and adore him.
What two-by-four has God been using to get your
attention? Have you even noticed? If you are not yet a believer in Christ you
need to know that God has you trapped in the most frustrating circumstances
imaginable. Even if you win the game of
life by obtaining wealth, standing, or earthly pleasures, you are still faced
with the question of eternity--an arena which is entirely beyond your control.
How do you get unstuck?
Worship your heavenly Father.
Receive the atonement of Christ for your sins by faith. Accept the sovereign working of God which
caused your stuckness to begin with.
Begin making decisions in harmony with that sovereignty. Then look for the joy of life, do the good
which God has put in your heart to do, and trust that God's intention is to
bless you. As the writer of Ecclesiastes
wrote thousands of years ago: "I know that there is nothing
better..."
[This message is an update of Being There, Part 2, originally preached in September 2002.]