REPOST Today’s Spiritual Food for Thought, provided by Pastor Shan Gian, who serves as Fenway Site Pastor at Symphony Church in Boston, was first posted on September 27, 2014.  He is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania (BA) and Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.).

Spiritual Food for Thought for the Weekend

“Lay Down Things Too Great and Too Marvelous for Me”  

Ecclesiastes 11:5 (ESV)

 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

It’s fun to talk with children at a certain age when they keep asking questions such as: “Why is the sky blue?”; “Why do we go this way?”; “Where do babies come from?”  But after a while, of course, it’s annoying taking on question after question, and we end up replying with, “BECAUSE!”  

Ecclesiastes is a book that keeps asking questions:  Why do we work?  What is wisdom?  What is joy?  What is the meaning of life?  But as Solomon is bringing this book of questioning to a close, he comes to this conclusion:  We “do not know the work of God who makes everything.”  Solomon is resigned to this fact that God is God, and we are not.

This can be difficult for us to accept.  In our day, science has made incredible advances and seemingly gives us answers to everything.  When we have questions about anything or need advice on a project, we just go to Google and Wikipedia, and we find our answers instantly.  But when it comes to the things of God, we have our questions such as: why this has happened; how something will come to be; or when we will we know; but we won’t always get answers to all of our questions.  

David, in Psalm 131, says, “I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.  But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.”  The weaned child is still and content, because he has been satisfied by solid food, knowing that his parents will take care of him and provide for him. 

And in the same way, David tells us that he can lay down his questions and desires to understand the great and marvelous things of God, because he knows he can trust in God and is satisfied by his presence.  Let us lay down our questions and our need to understand why, and let us be like the weaned child who trusts that our heavenly Father is in control.

Prayer: Father, thank You for being my Father and for Your love and care for me.  I confess that I have questions and desires to understand that I need to lay down for You.  Lord, I surrender it all to You because I know that You are in control and that Your presence is enough.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Bible Reading for Today: 2 Chronicles 8