Community & Discipleship

Wisdom for Seasons of Suffering (Ecc. 6:10-7:14)

2013.06.09Rev. Eddie Byun

In seasons of suffering we must see our pain through God's calendar, control, and character. Our sovereign God is good, and suffering is never for nothing.

Learn to see life through God's calendar (vv. 7:1-4)

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death is better than the day of birth. We do not choose the day we are born or the day we die, but we do shape the days in between, and those days are what people remember. Death shows us that life is short and fragile, so today is a gift. Parents count the days of their babies, and a seminary professor once counted down his remaining days. We learn wisdom by numbering our days, as Psalm 90:12 teaches. Suffering and death keep us from chasing temporary things as if they were ultimate.

Suffering is under God's sovereign control (vv. 6:10-12)

Whatever has come to be has already been named, so the God who named all creation is sovereign over it. No one can dispute with one stronger than himself, so we need to know the one whose word made all things more than we need many words. Missionary Ronnie Bowers was killed with her baby in Peru by a bullet that also passed near her husband Jim. Jim testified that God had sovereignly planned these events. Because God knows what is good for us, we can trust him even when we cannot see the reason.

In good and bad days, God is sovereign and good (vv. 7:14)

God made both the day of prosperity and the day of adversity, so that we cannot find out what will come after us. Every good day and every bad day is in his hands. Psalm 100:5 tells us that the Lord is good, and his steadfast love endures forever to all generations. Pain either purifies or poisons our faith, depending on whether we believe God is good and in control. If God is good, then even hard days are under his good care, so we must hold fast to that truth.

Look to the cross and pray to gain more of Christ

Suffering is never for nothing, and we cannot see it rightly without looking to the cross. There the Father knows our pain, and the Son chose to suffer for us and with us. Each loss is unique, so we should never claim to fully understand another person's grief. Prayer is more than asking God for what we want, because it brings us into his presence to gain more of him. Paul counted all things as loss for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ. Can we pray that whatever it takes, we will gain more of Jesus?

Apply to Life

  • Let us number our days and live today as a gift from God.
  • Let us trust God's sovereignty when we cannot understand the reasons for our suffering.
  • Let us hold fast to the truth that God is good, especially in days of pain.
  • Let us look to the cross and see the suffering of Jesus when our own suffering is hard to bear.
  • Let us pray not only for what we want but to gain more of Christ, even if it costs us everything.

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