Daily Devotionals

'Every Day Light' with Selwyn Hughes

Devotional: September 5th

For Reading and Meditation:
     Ecclesiastes 6:12

It doesn't do us any harm to see ourselves set over against the might and omnipotence of God, Solomon has been telling us. We are just a heartbeat away from eternity, and if God were to cause our hearts to stop at this very moment - we would die. We are very vulnerable people, and to try to go against the all-powerful Creator is about as effective as trying to shift the Rock of Gibraltar with a peashooter. Life functions best when we accept the destiny God has for us and close in with it. This picture of God as all-powerful is not being presented to us (as Derek Tidball points out) in order to bring us to our knees in weak and helpless submission. It is simply a matter of fact, a matter of truth. God is stronger than we are and, for that matter, stronger than anything we might want to put our trust in - wealth and money in particular. Solomon's last point in this chapter is the fact that we do not know the future, and his message, by implication, is that if we are wise we will get to know the One who knows the future. Knowing God means we come in touch with the only One who can really meet our soul's deepest needs. Contentment does not lie in a large bank balance, status, ambition, material possessions, or earthly success. It comes only when we are in a close relationship with God. Only He can give us the power to enjoy life. We would be wise to build on God, not on gold.

O God, help me this day to stand before You with an open heart, an open mind, and an open being. For I want to be changed not into the image of things, but into the image of You. I will have no idols in my life. I own You as my only Lord. Amen.