Only God

What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Ecclesiastes 1:15

Commentator, John W. Rittenbaugh, talks about verse 15 in relation to circumstances and events in our lives that can’t be changed. An injustice might be resolved or an apology given, but many lasting effects remain.

I have seen this many times in my own life as well as others around me and it seems unfair and perplexing. He continues by saying, we must remember that God has the power to straighten out what is twisted and to supply what is lacking, yet even He will not change the past. However, He can change the way the past affects us, which is most encouraging to those who believe. Solomon warns that life contains a great deal of inequity, disappointment and discouragement, evil, apparent injustice, and pain. Nations enter into war, governments are corrupt, courts are unfair, and businessmen lie and steal. There is so much of this, it is beyond count. Solomon uses his wisdom and abilities to try and understand all of this, as we do also.

I love Rittenbaugh’s viewpoint because he interjects hope and faith into the picture. Praise God for salvation and our new nature. We have hope in Christ. He tells us in His Word much about the world we live in, and what to expect. We are sojourners just passing through. The Lord uses the hard things in life to grow our faith and to strengthen us. We have the Holy Spirit – the power of God – in us! He can change the way we see life and the things that happen to us. His grace is amazing and He pours it out on us each day. He promises to bear our burdens with us and help us to walk through difficulties in our lives. Oh praise You, Lord, for Your care, love, peace and contentment amidst a world of things we don’t understand.