God…The Missing Puzzle Piece

Ecclesiastes is more relevant than the newspaper printed this morning and is a perfect book for students. Solomon expressed many of the same questions and philosophies we see in Millennials today. For example, nine out of ten teens say that they ponder their future at least once a week.

Solomon questions life, death and the future in general. His opening statement is the premise for his journey, “Meaningless, Meaningless, all is Meaningless,” which fits succinctly with the perspective of many teens in this generation. According to research by Third Millennium Teens, 74% of teens concur that they are still trying to figure out the purpose and meaning of life.

I believe Solomon is reviewing his life, looking back on where he has been and what he thought during the journey. This is Solomon’s testimony and it develops before our eyes as if we were viewing a DVD.

Speaking with “wisdom from below” rather than “wisdom from above,” Solomon approaches life like a lab experiment. After stating his premise, he holds up the “test tube” of his life and says, “I tried everything to find meaning to life and still came up empty.” He finally comes to the point of realizing that as long as life is lived without God, it will always leave you empty, parked on a dead end street.

Think of Ecclesiastes as a puzzle, each piece representing a desirable aspect of life, common to all people. For example, some of his desperate pursuits included happiness, comfort, wisdom, life, order, significance, and his overall search for the meaning of life in general. At some point in each of our lives, we chase one or more of these in our search for purpose.

The only way life can have meaning and purpose is if GOD is in the center of our lives. We can look everywhere and try everything, but there’s a hole in the center of the puzzle if GOD is missing. The puzzle of life will never be complete or make sense.

Our goal in student ministry is to introduce students to God in salvation and to teach them to live lives focused on Him. Chapter 12 brings Solomon to the right conclusion in his search for purpose and serves as a challenge to all of us.

• Remember now your Creator! – The idea is more than just thinking; it has a strong implication of action.

• Fear God. – Have a reverential awe before Him.

• Keep His commandments. – Obedient living is not about rules; it is about a relationship.

NOTE:  Every Wednesday beginning March 10, I will be posting a podcast of the class I teach on the book of Ecclesiastes. This is a ten-hour module, so there will be ten sessions. I hope you enjoy these, and I would love to hear back from you concerning this incredible book.