Daily Devotionals

'Every Day Light' with Selwyn Hughes

Devotional: October 5th

For Reading and Meditation:
     Ecclesiastes 1:1-2

We begin now a study of what has been described as "the most dangerous book in the Bible" - Ecclesiastes. Why dangerous? Because in it one comes face to face with the utter futility of trying to find happiness and meaning in the things of time. And that discovery, for some people, could lead to opting out of life altogether. An old Jewish tradition says that when the sages met to fix the canon of the Old Testament, they debated fiercely whether to include a book that was so full of cynicism and doubt. But prayer and wisdom prevailed, and it was included. I believe that Solomon is the author of Ecclesiastes, although there is much scholarly discussion about this. The main message of the book comes through in its opening statement: "Everything is meaningless." Seeing the utter futility of life is the first step to an encounter with God. I heard someone say that the first book of the Bible everyone ought to read is the Book of Ecclesiastes - because it silences you. When we see as clearly as Solomon saw that the world does not provide us with the life for which our souls were created, then we are more likely to turn to the true source of happiness - the eternal God Himself. One of the reasons why some of us do not know God well is because we have never been convinced of the utter futility of trying to find life in things. We have not been silenced. Let Ecclesiastes silence you, and in that silence you may experience a deeper awareness of God.

O God my Father, if my soul needs silencing, then use Your word once again to accomplish that task. Do whatever is necessary to bring me to the realization that what my soul longs for can only be fully found in You. Amen.