CHASING AFTER THE WIND

The book of Ecclesiastes is written by a person who is close to the end of his life. He is trying to make sense of life as he looks back over it from the beginning to the fast approaching end. While thinking about our lives while we are here on earth, he concludes that God has our path already laid out for us and He is in complete control. “This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." Eccl 7:29 (NIV).

The word upright when used in this context means that God made mankind righteous. In the Garden of Eden, God walked and talked with Adam and Eve and these two perfect humans had a complete and total relationship with Him. He was in complete control and he had their path laid out in front of them. But, Eve decides that there must be a better way and well.....you know the story.

When I read verse 29 in Ecclesiastes, I knew immediately what the verse meant, because that is exactly what I do all of the time. God has told me what my purpose is and He has shown Himself to me on so many occasions in order to increase my faith in Him so that I would KNOW that He has the perfect plan for me.....but what do I do? I go chasing after a scheme! I think “well, maybe, I should really be doing this, instead of that!” Am I the only person that does this, or are you also guilty? Am I the only one that thinks that I can choose a better path to follow than the one that God has set before me? Time and time and time again I think that I know what is best for me when all I really should do is just let go and give God complete control. Wouldn’t life be so much easier if we just accepted the simple fact that God really is in control and that God really does have the perfect plan for each of us?

How about if you and I start a journey together and from this moment forward we turn control of our lives over to God? We promise to set aside some quiet daily time reading the Bible and praying and asking God to give us the strength that we need to trust Him with everything in our lives. When I say pray, I don’t mean our daily SOS prayers that we send up to God, I mean spend time in our prayer closets pouring out our hearts to God and actually listening quietly for Him to answer us! When we sincerely do this and truly listen, He will respond and then it is up to us to become obedient and to follow where ever He leads. If you feel like your life is going nowhere fast....trust God and be obedient to His calling on your life....don’t go chasing after schemes.

The writer of Ecclesiastes ends the book with this passage “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Eccl 12:13-14 (KJV).

According to verses 13 and 14, we only have two jobs and those are to fear God and keep His commandments. How hard can that be? Well, actually if you’re like me, it’s pretty hard. Whenever we wander from the path that God has set for us in order to pursue our own schemes, we might as well be “chasing after the wind”. The time is now, open your eyes and realize that you have been given a wonderful gift. God has the perfect plan for you and in all things God is in control. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” James 4:8-10 (NIV)

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