Beautiful

Read: Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

IN WORD

God is writing a story. But like all great stories, it’s full of ups and downs, twists and turns, and impossible situations that seem to have no possible solution. No one is moved by a story with perfect characters and a few bumps in the road, but grand epics with plenty of humor and drama and happy endings are inspiring. That’s the kind of story God is writing. And each one of us is in the middle of it.

Many people have chosen to judge God in the middle of the story. That’s easy to do; if any fictional character could talk to his author, he would likely have plenty of complaints about the brutality of the plot. That plot often seems to go in the wrong direction, but the character doesn’t yet see the end. If he could, he would be encouraged. But when everything looks bleak, as all good plots do at times, we tend to judge the author for letting us down.

God makes everything beautiful in its time. The Kingdom story doesn’t end in the middle, when everything looks bleak. It doesn’t leave us hanging in impossible situations, wondering how we might possibly survive and lamenting that the enemy seems to get away with everything. No, this plot is the kind that intrigues audiences with its twists, amazes us with its resolution, and provokes thunderous applause at the end. We might be sitting on the edge of our seats and biting our nails all the way through, but when it’s over, we exhale and talk about it being the best story ever. It’s beautiful—in its time.

IN DEED

Trust God in the middle of the story. Don’t draw any conclusions until you see what His conclusions look like. Know that the plot ends well, and whatever obstacle you’re facing today is a normal twist for a great storyteller like God. We are not living in the midst of a tragedy; the Kingdom story is both stunning and satisfying. And it’s beautiful in its time.

ADDITIONAL READING: 1 Corinthians 2:8-9

The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.

HELEN KELLER