11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Ecclesiastes 2:11 & 17 & 24-26 (NIV)
Chasing the wind . . . What a challenge! We cannot see the wind. How can we chase it? We don’t know where it originates. We cannot tell which way it will go after it passes us. We have no parameters for either chasing it or for catching it. If we could catch the wind what would we do with it?
The writer’s point is, of course, the futility of pursuing something that does not . . . cannot . . . will not satisfy the soul. Such toil and efforts are like chasing the wind. At the end of the day, we have gained nothing. Worked ourselves into the grave and gained nothing. It is meaningless!
When we read Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes, we discover that life isn’t about what one does because one’s projects – all of them – are left to others and become meaningless to those who did not do them. In most cases, both we and our projects are forgotten. Life is not about what we do! In addition, we discover that life isn’t about what we possess because our possessions – all of them – are left to others who may or may not do with them as we desire. Life is not about what we possess!
Finally, we discover that life IS about pleasing God. We can only please God by becoming who He wants us to be in Him. Life is about who we are! Life is about pleasing God! We have a choice. We can chase the wind or chase God. We cannot catch the wind.
Dear Father, thank you for allowing us to know about you, to chase you, and to catch you. Empower us with a greater desire for knowing you in a fuller, more satisfying relationship. This I pray in the name of Jesus. AMEN
Be encouraged today as you pursue God,