Finding True Joy and Meaning in God's Presence

Summary

Ecclesiastes invites us to wrestle with the big questions of meaning, purpose, and joy. The teacher in Ecclesiastes tries to find satisfaction in pleasure, laughter, wine, and great accomplishments, only to discover that all of it is fleeting—“havl,” vapor, a chasing after the wind. The text confronts us with the reality that everything we work for will eventually pass to someone else, and that even our greatest achievements are temporary. This can lead to despair, but it also opens the door to humility and a deeper appreciation for the gifts of God in the present moment.

Rather than seeking greatness in accumulation or power, Ecclesiastes points us toward a life of measured joy, gratitude, and generosity. The call is not to abandon pleasure, but to root our enjoyment in the recognition of God’s presence and provision. True joy is not found in escapism or self-indulgence, but in receiving the good things of life—food, drink, relationships, meaningful work—as gifts from God. The teacher’s journey through futility and frustration ultimately becomes an invitation to humility, to let go of our illusions of control, and to trust that God is the one who gives meaning to our days.

This perspective challenges our definitions of greatness and fairness. We are reminded that we are all in need of grace, and that our striving for fairness often masks a desire for grace for ourselves and judgment for others. Ecclesiastes asks us to examine whether God truly matters in our lives—not just in our words or church attendance, but in the way we order our priorities, use our resources, and love our neighbors. The reality of life’s brevity and uncertainty is not meant to paralyze us, but to free us for joyful obedience, for dancing in the streets, for loving and serving others with open hands.

In the end, every moment, every relationship, and every resource is an opportunity to recognize God’s presence and to participate in God’s work of restoration. Even in the face of life’s uncertainties, we are invited to the table—to remember, to receive, and to be transformed by the God who is with us.

Key Takeaways

- Joy Rooted in God’s Presence, Not Circumstance
The pursuit of pleasure, laughter, and accomplishment apart from God ultimately leads to emptiness. True joy is not escapism or distraction, but a response to the gifts God gives in each moment. When we recognize God’s presence in our daily lives, even simple pleasures become sacred and meaningful. [29:03]

- Redefining Greatness and Fairness
Our culture often defines greatness by accumulation, power, and achievement, but Ecclesiastes exposes the futility of these pursuits. The desire for fairness can mask our own need for grace, as we demand justice for others and mercy for ourselves. God’s priorities call us to a greatness rooted in humility, generosity, and love for neighbor, not self-exaltation. [27:45]

- The Gift and Limitation of Human Power
We have precious little control over the ultimate outcomes of our lives and work. Rather than being paralyzed by this, we are invited to use the power and agency we do have for good—to serve, to give, and to build community. Humility grows when we accept our limitations and trust God with what we cannot control. [35:30]

- Letting Reality Lead to Humility and Gratitude
The fleeting nature of life and possessions can lead to despair, but Ecclesiastes offers a reality check that invites us to humility. Instead of wishing away the present or envying others, we are called to delight in the gifts God has given us—family, work, rest, and joy. Humility opens our eyes to the abundance already present in our lives. [38:06]

- Does God Matter? Living a Faith That Shows
It is possible to identify as Christian without ever truly letting God matter in our daily decisions and priorities. Ecclesiastes challenges us to examine the evidence of our faith: do our lives reflect trust in God, generosity, and love for others, or are we simply performing religious duties? When God truly matters, every moment and every relationship becomes an opportunity to embody Christ’s love. [39:16]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[24:34] - The Theater of Joy and Dancing
[25:48] - Ecclesiastes: The Search for Meaning
[27:07] - Eat, Drink, and Be Merry?
[27:45] - Wrestling with Fairness and Grace
[29:03] - Joy as Part of God’s Creation
[31:01] - The Futility of Worldly Greatness
[32:17] - Under the Sun Rules: YOLO and Pleasure
[33:35] - Rethinking Priorities and Greatness
[35:30] - The Limits of Human Power
[36:08] - Martin Luther and the Desire for More
[38:06] - Humility and the Gifts of God
[39:16] - Does God Matter? Evidence of Faith
[41:49] - Everything Matters in God
[43:09] - Prayer and Communion Invitation
[45:04] - ASP Mission Trip Reflections
[51:07] - Communion: Remembering God’s Presence
[54:14] - Closing Prayer and Invitation to the Table

Study Guide

Small Group Bible Study Guide: Ecclesiastes – Wrestling with Meaning, Joy, and God’s Presence

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### Bible Reading

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11, 17-26
(The main text of the sermon, see [25:48] through [27:07])

Matthew 5:16
("In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." – Referenced during the ASP mission trip reflection, [46:21])

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### Observation Questions

1. According to Ecclesiastes 2, what are some of the things the Teacher tries in his search for meaning and satisfaction? ([25:48])
2. What does the Teacher say about the results of all his hard work and accomplishments? Who ends up with them? ([26:26])
3. In Matthew 5:16, what does Jesus say is the purpose of letting our light shine before others?
4. The sermon mentions that the Teacher in Ecclesiastes returns several times to the idea of “eat, drink, and be merry.” How does the Teacher’s attitude toward this change throughout the chapter? ([32:17])

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### Interpretation Questions

1. Why does the Teacher in Ecclesiastes describe pleasure, laughter, and great accomplishments as “pointless” or “a chasing after the wind”? What is he really searching for? ([25:48])
2. The sermon says that the fleeting nature of life can lead to despair, but also to humility and gratitude. How does recognizing the temporary nature of things change the way someone might live? ([38:06])
3. The Teacher struggles with the idea of fairness—working hard, but someone else getting the benefit. How does this challenge our own ideas of what is “fair” and how we view grace? ([27:45])
4. According to the sermon, what does it look like when someone’s faith is more about “performing religious duties” than actually letting God matter in their daily life? ([39:16])

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### Application Questions

1. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes tries to find joy in pleasure, laughter, and accomplishments, but finds them empty without God. Where do you most often look for satisfaction or meaning? How can you invite God into those areas this week? ([29:03])
2. The sermon challenges us to rethink our definition of greatness. In your own life, what does “greatness” look like? Is it more about achievement, accumulation, or something else? How might God be inviting you to redefine greatness? ([31:01])
3. The Teacher laments that all his hard work will be left to someone else. How do you feel about the idea that your achievements or possessions are temporary? Does this make you anxious, or does it free you to live differently? ([26:26])
4. The sermon says, “We are all in need of grace, but we often want fairness for others and grace for ourselves.” Can you think of a recent situation where you wanted grace for yourself but judgment for someone else? How could you respond differently next time? ([27:45])
5. The ASP mission trip story highlighted letting your light shine and serving others. What is one practical way you can “let your light shine” in your family, workplace, or neighborhood this week? ([46:21])
6. The fleeting nature of life is not meant to paralyze us, but to free us for joyful obedience. Is there something you’ve been putting off—an act of generosity, a step of faith, or a relationship to invest in—because you’re waiting for the “right” time? What would it look like to act now? ([54:14])
7. The sermon asks, “Does God matter?” not just in words, but in how we order our priorities and love our neighbors. What is one area of your life where you want to let God matter more? What is a first step you can take this week? ([39:16])

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Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Invite the group to pray for humility, gratitude, and the courage to find joy in God’s presence in the everyday moments of life. Ask God to help each person let go of the need for control and to trust Him with their work, relationships, and future.

Devotional

Day 1: True Joy Is Found in God’s Presence, Not in Fleeting Pleasures
The pursuit of pleasure, accomplishments, and even wisdom can feel empty and meaningless when disconnected from God. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes tried laughter, wine, and great works, only to discover that all these things are ultimately “pointless” when sought for their own sake. Yet, he concludes that there is nothing better than to eat, drink, and experience pleasure in one’s work—when these are received as gifts from God. Joy, wisdom, and knowledge are not ends in themselves but are part of God’s good creation, meant to be enjoyed in relationship with Him. When we recognize God’s presence in the ordinary moments, even simple pleasures become meaningful and lasting. [27:07]

Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 (ESV)
“There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.”

Reflection: What is one simple pleasure or daily task you can intentionally receive as a gift from God today, allowing it to become a moment of gratitude and joy in His presence?

Day 2: Greatness Is Not Measured by Accumulation, but by Alignment with God’s Priorities
The world often defines greatness by what we build, own, or achieve, but Ecclesiastes challenges this view. The Teacher amassed wealth, property, and accomplishments, only to realize that death renders all these things fleeting and that someone else will inherit them. True greatness is not about amplifying ourselves or accumulating for our own sake, but about aligning our lives with God’s priorities—using our resources, time, and influence to bless others and honor God. When we let go of the need to control outcomes and instead steward what we have with humility and generosity, we discover a deeper, more lasting greatness. [34:55]

Ecclesiastes 2:18-21 (ESV)
“I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.”

Reflection: In what area of your life are you tempted to measure your worth by what you have or accomplish, and how might you shift your focus to align with God’s definition of greatness today?

Day 3: Let Reality Sober Us to Humility and Delight in God’s Gifts
Life is fleeting, and everything we possess is temporary—even our wisdom and experience. Ecclesiastes invites us to let this reality humble us, not to despair, but to cultivate gratitude and delight in the gifts God has given. Instead of wishing away the present or focusing on what we lack, we are called to notice the riches already present in our lives—relationships, daily bread, moments of rest, and opportunities for joy. Humility opens our eyes to the abundance around us and frees us from the endless cycle of comparison and accumulation. [38:06]

Philippians 4:11-13 (ESV)
“Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Reflection: What is one area where you can practice humility and contentment today, choosing to delight in a gift God has already placed in your life?

Day 4: Does God Matter? Let Your Life Bear Evidence of His Importance
It is possible to go through the motions of faith without ever truly wrestling with the question: Does God matter in my life? Ecclesiastes challenges us to examine whether our choices, priorities, and use of resources reflect a life where God is central. If God truly matters, it should change how we live, love, and serve. Our faith is not just performative or cultural, but transformative—shaping our actions, relationships, and the way we steward what we have. Let your life be evidence that God matters, not just in belief, but in practice. [39:55]

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

Reflection: What is one specific action you can take today that would serve as evidence to others that God truly matters in your life?

Day 5: Every Act of Love and Service Reveals God’s Presence Among Us
Even when the world’s problems seem overwhelming, every act of loving our neighbor helps heal and restore the fabric of community. We are invited to recognize God’s presence in each other and to see every relationship, resource, and moment as an opportunity to reflect His love. Serving others—whether through a mission trip, a word of encouragement, or a simple act of kindness—draws us closer to God and to one another. In these acts, we become the body of Christ, embodying hope, grace, and the reality that God is with us, even in the ordinary and the difficult. [51:07]

1 John 4:12 (ESV)
“No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.”

Reflection: Who is one person you can intentionally serve or encourage today, allowing your action to be a tangible sign of God’s presence and love?

Quotes

There's nothing better for human beings than to eat, drink and experience pleasure in their hard work. I also saw this from God's hand. Who can eat and find enjoyment otherwise because God gives wisdom, knowledge and joy to those who please God but to those who are offensive God gives the task of hoarding and accumulating, but only so as to give it all to those who do please God. This too is pointless and a chasing after the wind. [00:26:47]

So the teacher returns to this idea of joy and they place it instead of outside part of the purpose of creation, foolish joy for the sake of just whimsy. They by the end of the chapter place the idea of joy inside the purpose of God's creation. What if God gives us wisdom, what if God gives us knowledge, what if God gives us joy, what if those things are part of the order of God's good creation now? [00:29:03]

Outside of God those things easily become misplaced, don't they? Oh, we can quickly turn things that God intended for good into problems, into idols. We can quickly turn things that God intended to for good into places where sin takes a hold, where we begin to accumulate and hoard for our own sake, for our own power, for our own privilege. We store it away. [00:29:27]

But with God and in line with a godly perspective, Wisdom and knowledge and joy are part of an important and created order. So what kind of joy does the teacher try? Well, he tells us he tries laughter and comedy and wine. He gives them a shot. But ultimately he says outside of recognizing God's presence in them they are folly. They are useless. [00:29:55]

Measured pleasure is a way maybe of recognizing the good things that God has provided. If greatness is just power and stuff then we miss the beauty of what God is up to. We miss the opportunity to rest in the pleasure of life, in the pleasure of relationships or maybe a good piece of bread or an enjoyable drink. The teacher is rethinking their priorities. [00:33:04]

So that we can consider what our definition is. Are we working ourselves to the point of exhaustion for what, for the purpose of accumulating? Are we seeking fleeting pleasure that is not grounded in thanksgiving or recognition or awareness or we can even take it a step further? Does our sense of what the word great means, does our sense of greatness only benefit us and not our neighbor? [00:33:42]

The teacher cautions us against worry about the future. But gosh, I feel like this book gives us a lot to worry about, a lot to think about, but ultimately also an invitation to acknowledge that we are not in control. Not total control. God is. And God is great. Not again, Always. And humanity has missed the mark. Not again, Always. [00:34:19]

Ecclesiastes arrives at an invitation for measured choices, reasonable work, reasonable saving, reasonable joy, reasonable giving. Now I would argue that the larger the larger story of scripture in the gospel is a call for abundant giving. But for now that's where the teacher has us. Number two in your listening guide, we have precious little power in the big scheme of things. [00:35:07]

How will we use the power that we do have? I like the way Martin Luther talks about Ecclesiastes. You'll remember that Martin Luther is a key leader in the Protestant Reformation. He's um a German theologian and Augustinian priest. And and here's what he has to to say. What is being condemned in this book therefore is not the creatures, not the things God has created, but the depraved affection and desire of us men who are not content with the creatures of God that we have. [00:35:44]

And with their use but we're always anxious and concerned to accumulate riches and honors and glory and fame as though we were going to live here forever. And meanwhile we become bored with the things that are present and continually continually yearn for other things and then still others. Oh that strikes me as true. I wonder about anyone else. I can become bored so quick. [00:36:08]

The teacher in Ecclesiastes wants to give us a reality check. It's true. It is all hav. It's fleeting. It moves fast. And death is part of the story. It's true in the scheme of things that everything we own is temporal. Even our bodies, even our wisdom, even our experience, certainly our stuff, it will go away. And there's part of the conversation in Ecclesiastes where it leads the teacher to despair, but then provides an invitation for humility. [00:37:52]

We don't dance or find enjoyment because life is good all the time. Right, again, we watched the clip from Saturday Night Live last week of Debbie Downer, right? They're at this great birthday party and dividing up the the birthday cake and singing happy birthday and the camera cuts to Debbie Downer who goes, you know, there's lots of calories in there and everyone's like "Right." [00:38:42]

We celebrate and find joy because God is good. Because God is good all the time. The teacher is being bold and asking this question: Does God matter? I think it's a good question. And I think we should ask ourselves that question too. Did you know it's possible to define yourself as a Christian and did you know it's possible to attend church your entire life and never ask yourself that question? [00:39:22]

If we're making it a priority to accumulate and hoard and store away our time and our talent and our resources, our wisdom and our treasure, if our definition of greatness is our position and our power and our authority and what we and people like us and just the people that we care about have, then I wonder if we've ever really wrestled with the question: does God matter? [00:40:21]

We plumb the depths of the question does anything matter so that we can recognize that through the living God who is with us everything matters, and every moment is a privilege and every resource is an opportunity and every relationship is a gift and every neighbor is an opportunity for us to recognize the God who is among us. [00:41:56]

It's a bit like the movie It's a Wonderful Life in that way. George Bailey experiences the world without him as a way for him to discover his own value and the value of others. And while many of the circumstances that led him to despair remain on the other side of that vision that he has, that dream that he has, he also discovers a new kind of capacity for joy and appreciation for what is, even the simple things. [00:42:26]

Chatbot

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