Embracing Life's Uncertainty Through Divine Wisdom

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So, you know, I just want to kind of open with this thought that, you know, for as much as we try, and I think we try really hard at different times, for as much as we try, none of us know what will happen next in our lives. Kind of like this morning, we thought we would turn on the sound system and everything would be fine. [00:38:14] (21 seconds)


We can make our plans, and we can leverage our own efforts to try to control what is going to happen next, what is coming down the road. But our future, and considering our future, is kind of like trying to grab the wind, right? We can't. We try. Sometimes we exert a lot of effort. [00:38:49] (24 seconds)


Solomon brings us to another of man's great frustrations this morning, and that is the seemingly random nature of time and chance. It just seems like out of nowhere things will hit you, and you're thinking, where did that come from? Why are we going through this? We can make plans, but we certainly are not in control of our lives. [00:41:57] (29 seconds)


Earlier in chapter 9, verse 2, we read, it is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked, for the good, for the clean, and for the unclean, for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner. [00:42:15] (18 seconds)


Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for there is no activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol where you are going. I again saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, and the battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise, nor wealth to the discerning, nor favor to men of ability, for time and chance overtake them all. [00:43:51] (27 seconds)


Moreover, man does not know his time, like fish caught in a treacherous net and birds trapped in a snare. So the sons of men are ensnared at an evil time when it suddenly falls on them. Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me. [00:44:56] (21 seconds)


There was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siege works against it. But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. So I said, wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. [00:45:07] (25 seconds)


The words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a roller among foals. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. So let's pray and ask God to reveal his truth as we open. [00:45:56] (23 seconds)


And so, the greatest of our human abilities does not, shouldn't be do not, but does not guarantee success in life. It doesn't. I'm not saying don't care. Or I'm not saying that you shouldn't try. Or I'm not saying that if you're training for a race, you should just kind of like, well, I'm going to lose anyway, so why should I? [00:51:58] (27 seconds)


Time and chance may seem to overwhelm us, but the best way to live is not to react, but to live wisely. So it begs the question at this point, what does it look like practically for us? When all seems lost and frustrating, how then shall we live? [01:08:37] (28 seconds)


And it begins with this, and I would say it ends with this. There's going to be a whole lot of things that go into it, but the first thing that you need to do if you seek to live wisely in a world that is fraught with despair is to give your life to Jesus Christ. That's where it starts and ends. [01:09:06] (23 seconds)


So give your life to the Lord. And when you do, ask God for wisdom. Ask Him. Cry out to Him. God, help me. I don't understand what's happening in this world, but I need your help. In your bulletin on the top left side is a verse from James 1, verse 5. What does it say? If any of you lacks wisdom, ask of God who gives liberally. [01:10:53] (34 seconds)


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