When Life Doesn’t Make Sense | Ecclesiastes: Finding What Matters in a Life That Passes, Part 8
Key Truth | Faith doesn't require us to understand everything God is doing. It invites us to trust His character even when His ways are beyond our understanding.
Key Scripture | “Then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it…” — Ecclesiastes 8:17 (NKJV)
One of the things I’ve had to become more comfortable with as I’ve gotten older is not having an answer for everything.
As a pastor and leader, much of my life involves helping people navigate difficult decisions, understand complicated situations, and find direction when things seem uncertain. I’ve spent years studying Scripture, seeking wisdom, and learning from experience. Yet some of the most significant moments in life have reminded me that even with all of that, there are things I simply cannot explain.
I’ve stood with families experiencing heartbreaking loss, watched good people endure circumstances they didn’t deserve, and prayed for situations that didn’t turn out the way I believed they would. In those moments, having the right words isn’t nearly as important as being willing to walk with people through what we don’t understand.
Solomon wrestles with this same reality in Ecclesiastes 8.
He observes that righteous people sometimes experience what we would expect the wicked to experience, while wicked people appear to enjoy the rewards we associate with righteousness. Life doesn’t always unfold according to our expectations of fairness.
And Solomon doesn’t pretend otherwise.
He acknowledges that even the wisest person cannot fully comprehend everything God is doing.
I think that’s an important lesson for those of us who genuinely want to understand God’s ways. We can begin to believe that if we pray enough, study enough, or grow spiritually enough, we’ll eventually reach a place where everything makes sense.
But spiritual maturity doesn’t eliminate mystery.
In fact, sometimes maturity is demonstrated by our willingness to trust God without requiring Him to explain Himself.
That doesn’t mean we stop asking questions or searching the Scriptures. God invites us to seek wisdom and understanding. But there is a difference between seeking to know God and believing we must understand everything He allows.
Faith isn’t the confidence that I understand everything God is doing. It’s the confidence that I can trust Him even when I don’t.'
I think about the disciples and how often they misunderstood what Jesus was doing. They expected a kingdom that looked different from the one He came to establish. Even His death seemed like the end of everything they had believed.
Yet what appeared to be their greatest disappointment became the foundation of their greatest hope.
The cross reminds us that our inability to understand a moment doesn’t mean God is absent from it.
And while we can look back on the cross and recognize God’s redemptive purpose, there are still circumstances in our own lives for which we may never receive a complete explanation.
I’ve learned that peace doesn’t always come from getting answers. Sometimes it comes from knowing the character of the One we’re trusting.
Solomon’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes 8 isn’t that life is hopeless because we cannot understand everything. He encourages us to receive and enjoy the life God has given us, even while acknowledging its mysteries.
There’s freedom in that.
I don’t have to carry the burden of understanding everything that happens around me. I can seek wisdom, act faithfully, grieve what is painful, and trust God with what remains beyond my understanding. Because the goal of faith was never to make me all-knowing. It was to teach me to walk with the One who is.
Life is too short to spend it chasing what cannot satisfy, and too sacred to waste what God has entrusted to us.
Reflection
Prayer | Father, thank You that Your wisdom reaches far beyond my understanding. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed unanswered questions to create distance between us. Give me the humility to acknowledge what I don’t know and the faith to trust You in the middle of uncertainty. Help me seek wisdom without demanding explanations and remain faithful even when life doesn’t unfold as I expected. Teach me to rest in Your character and recognize Your presence in every season. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Additional Scripture
Key Scripture | “Then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it…” — Ecclesiastes 8:17 (NKJV)
One of the things I’ve had to become more comfortable with as I’ve gotten older is not having an answer for everything.
As a pastor and leader, much of my life involves helping people navigate difficult decisions, understand complicated situations, and find direction when things seem uncertain. I’ve spent years studying Scripture, seeking wisdom, and learning from experience. Yet some of the most significant moments in life have reminded me that even with all of that, there are things I simply cannot explain.
I’ve stood with families experiencing heartbreaking loss, watched good people endure circumstances they didn’t deserve, and prayed for situations that didn’t turn out the way I believed they would. In those moments, having the right words isn’t nearly as important as being willing to walk with people through what we don’t understand.
Solomon wrestles with this same reality in Ecclesiastes 8.
He observes that righteous people sometimes experience what we would expect the wicked to experience, while wicked people appear to enjoy the rewards we associate with righteousness. Life doesn’t always unfold according to our expectations of fairness.
And Solomon doesn’t pretend otherwise.
He acknowledges that even the wisest person cannot fully comprehend everything God is doing.
I think that’s an important lesson for those of us who genuinely want to understand God’s ways. We can begin to believe that if we pray enough, study enough, or grow spiritually enough, we’ll eventually reach a place where everything makes sense.
But spiritual maturity doesn’t eliminate mystery.
In fact, sometimes maturity is demonstrated by our willingness to trust God without requiring Him to explain Himself.
That doesn’t mean we stop asking questions or searching the Scriptures. God invites us to seek wisdom and understanding. But there is a difference between seeking to know God and believing we must understand everything He allows.
Faith isn’t the confidence that I understand everything God is doing. It’s the confidence that I can trust Him even when I don’t.'
I think about the disciples and how often they misunderstood what Jesus was doing. They expected a kingdom that looked different from the one He came to establish. Even His death seemed like the end of everything they had believed.
Yet what appeared to be their greatest disappointment became the foundation of their greatest hope.
The cross reminds us that our inability to understand a moment doesn’t mean God is absent from it.
And while we can look back on the cross and recognize God’s redemptive purpose, there are still circumstances in our own lives for which we may never receive a complete explanation.
I’ve learned that peace doesn’t always come from getting answers. Sometimes it comes from knowing the character of the One we’re trusting.
Solomon’s conclusion in Ecclesiastes 8 isn’t that life is hopeless because we cannot understand everything. He encourages us to receive and enjoy the life God has given us, even while acknowledging its mysteries.
There’s freedom in that.
I don’t have to carry the burden of understanding everything that happens around me. I can seek wisdom, act faithfully, grieve what is painful, and trust God with what remains beyond my understanding. Because the goal of faith was never to make me all-knowing. It was to teach me to walk with the One who is.
Life is too short to spend it chasing what cannot satisfy, and too sacred to waste what God has entrusted to us.
Reflection
- Is there something in my life I’ve allowed to steal my peace because I cannot understand why God has allowed it?
- Can I trust His character even when I cannot explain His ways?
Prayer | Father, thank You that Your wisdom reaches far beyond my understanding. Forgive me for the times I’ve allowed unanswered questions to create distance between us. Give me the humility to acknowledge what I don’t know and the faith to trust You in the middle of uncertainty. Help me seek wisdom without demanding explanations and remain faithful even when life doesn’t unfold as I expected. Teach me to rest in Your character and recognize Your presence in every season. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Additional Scripture
- Ecclesiastes 8:10–17 — The mystery of God’s ways
- Isaiah 55:8–9 — God’s thoughts and ways are higher than ours
- Proverbs 3:5–6 — Trusting God beyond our understanding
- Romans 11:33–36 — The depth of God’s wisdom
- Job 42:1–6 — Humility before God’s greatness
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 — Knowing in part and seeing more fully one day
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