“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”
Ecclesiastes 1:2(KJV)
The soft breeze cools my sun-warmed skin as I walk under the thick canopy of the Lodgepole Pines. The
quiet and loneliness of the mountain trails soothe my soul and reset my overstimulated nervous system.
I enjoy hiking any time of the year, but in the summer, I love to escape the hot, grasshopper-rich hills near
my house and enjoy the dark, verdant mountain trails. I marvel at how perfectly the natural world corresponds to my physical and emotional needs, drawing my soul upward and away from my cares.
Do you ever feel that?
The mysterious way your whole being responds to a gently painted sunset? The human heart seems to expand when overlooking a grand vista from a mountain top; and the chest aches at the perfect beautiful helplessness of a newborn child as these moments call to something longing for more – something more than the relentless and frenetic pursuit of pleasure, consumption, and status.
There must be something more than just quieting and numbing the pain of loneliness, rejection,
powerlessness, and failure.
One of our poets, Pink, says we are scared of the quiet “cause it screams the truth.” (Sober)
We numb with pleasure and entertainment and fill the days with activity and noise so we never face the emptiness and horror within.
One of the ancient kings of Israel, King Solomon, used all his power and wealth to find out what would satisfy his soul. He begins his poem, Ecclesiastes, like this:
“Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?”
And…
“All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear
filled with hearing 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.”
The despair is palpable. He goes on to recount how he sought meaning in searching out wisdom and
knowledge, good times and entertainment, and in great accomplishments and found only an increase in
his sorrow,
“… behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.”
Humanity was made for so much more.
There is meaning to existence, but we’ve been lied to and told there’s nothing but what we can get out of this world, and we must make ourselves happy and determine our own meaning.
But like Solomon, we’ll never be satisfied pursuing what we were not made for. He had all the resources at the disposal of the most powerful man of his nation, and yet he couldn’t set his soul at peace.
We were made to know and be loved by our Creator.
This strongly implies that there must be something more to our existence.
We were made to know and be loved by our Creator. When the heart yearns within, and aches at the sunset, it is longing for connection with its Creator.
He calls us to Himself with every life-giving rain, every good meal, and every smell of freshly mown grass. His wisdom and love cry out to us in the world He’s filled with good things.
He is not skimpy with us, only doling out the bare minimum to get us by. He’s extravagant in His generosity, filling the world with brilliant color and abundance.
There’s so much evidence about our Creator from the things He’s made, but He’s also communicated
directly how to have a relationship with Him. In His love and goodness, He’s given a way back to
connection with Him. And this is what we were meant for. This is where the soul will find satisfaction and
rest.
This way back to Him is communicated to us through His Word, the Bible. This ancient book is big and
deep and full of beauty. It details the terms under which you can come to your Maker. It tells the story of
how humanity is in such a miserable state, of how a great rebellion began long ago, dividing us into two
forces: one that loved and followed its Creator, and one that believed the lie that God was cruel and
unfair and man was better off making his own way in the world. It’s the great drama from which every
other great drama in the history of mankind echoes.
This Creator is personal and is calling to you.
You.
Though you may feel unseen and lost, He sees you.
Find a Bible. Read it and hear the voice of your Creator.
Call out to Him and seek Him. He’s promised that if you seek, you will find. Seek out a church that has others like you, those humbly seeking connection with their Creator; God will guide you.
Believe and be saved…
