“Ecclesiastes 1:9-10, “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.”
King Solomon, the author of Ecclesiastes and titled as the wisest man to ever live, wrote this line to convey the cyclical nature of life here on earth. When you turn on the TV and catch the news, or pop on social media and get blasted by headlines, it’s easy to get the feeling that the turbulence is all new and never before seen. But in truth many of the things we hear about now: pandemics, riots, racial tension, glorification of sin-while they may seem new (or new to our generation under the fancy new slogans) they are all just reinventions of the same thing that has plagued mankind since the fall: sin.
While this realization can be depressing for someone living in the world and stuck on the hamster wheel, for Christians, these words can bring comfort. The problems, cares and concerns of this world are not new, they are known by God and there is nothing happening on this planet that is above His notice or beyond his ability to control. This is business as usual to Him. Because God is:
Omnipresent: God’s whole being is present everywhere (at every point in space) at all times.
Psalm 139:7-10
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
Omnipotent: God has infinite power and is not limited by anything or anyone in what He can do to accomplish His holy will.
Jeremiah 32:17
Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.
Omniscient: God knows everything, including Himself, His creation, and all actual and possible things (past, present, and future). Nothing ever surprises God or is hidden from his sight.
1 John 3:20 – For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
Hebrews 4:13
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
When we meditate on Who God is it takes the burden off of our shoulders. We don’t have to figure this out, because God has and He already sent the solution. John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
So what CAN we as Christians do when we find ourselves living in spiritually depraved and turbulent times? Paul and the early church found themselves in a considerably hostile environment and the letter he wrote to the church in Thesselonica holds wisdom for the church today:
1 Thessalonians 4:7-12, “For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.”
Verse 7: Be holy and do not sin
Verse 8: Those who reject are rejecting God, not man.
Verse 9: Love those around you, starting with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Verse 10: Grow in Christ
Verse 11: Work hard and be good stewards of what God has given you
In short… live and love like Jesus did.
