S117P9 – Through Solomon’s eyes: the days God has made

Ecc. 7:13-14

Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him.

There I was, a spiritually mature Christian still entertaining the foolishness of my youth.  I had had a good run of days and was feeling like nothing could go wrong.  I had longed for life to be carefree for even a few moments, and I was enjoying that.  I thanked God for the blessing and looked forward to the days to come.  However, that run of good days would be short.  Once life got real again, I found myself asking God what on Earth He was doing.  I started wishing away the bad days because I just wanted to get through them, but I missed the point in all of it.  Each of our days, the good ones and the bad ones, were ordained by God and serve a purpose if we only try to find it.

Solomon here is echoing the words of Job when he admonished his wife for telling him to curse God and die.  Both men came to understand that the days God gives us are never a waste, never pointless, and never useless.  There is a jewel in each day, or perhaps even more than one treasure, no matter what that day looks like.  We know that our Lord is not one to waste.  He is a God of purpose and a God of creation, and He has created these days for a reason.  We might be bombarded by the evils of this world on any random Tuesday or Friday, but that does not negate the fact that God has blessed us with those days.  He chose them for us and us for them because He has a plan for his Church.

Whether a day is good or bad, our response should be the same.  On the good days, we do not merely ride them out with smiles on our faces and never seek God for their purpose.  On the bad days, we do not kick our feet and try to skirt their challenge.  On both days, we should thank God for another opportunity to live for him and ask him what we are to gain from the day.  If the sun has risen and you have taken another breath, then the Lord has blessed you with another day to fulfill his will and grow along the way.  Father, help us navigate and appreciate equally all the days You have ordained for us, that we would seek your will and your pleasure in each one.