Ecclesiastes 3:11—“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.”

Ecclesiastes 3 begins by declaring that there is “a time to every purpose under the heaven” (v. 1). Birth and death, planting and uprooting, weeping and laughing all have their appointed times. We do not choose or fully understand them. Yet Solomon says that God has made everything “beautiful in his time.” God orders every event wisely, even when we cannot see how it fits within His whole purpose.

The phrase “he hath set the world in their heart” speaks of our awareness of time beyond the present moment. God has also placed in our hearts a longing to see beyond the present moment. We want to know where our lives are going and how their many events fit together. But we cannot trace “the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end”. Our desire to understand exceeds our ability. We see only a small part of what He is doing.

This is especially hard when the appointed time brings loss or waiting. We must not call suffering pleasant or pretend to know why God has permitted a particular sorrow. Instead, we may bring our questions to Him while trusting God's wisdom, which we cannot yet see.

The next verses call us to receive the good God gives and to fear Him (vv. 12–14). Today, give thanks for His present mercies and faithfully do what lies before you. You need not understand His work from beginning to end to entrust your days to His hands.