Ecclesiastes 9:11 (King James Bible)
I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 (Contemporary English Version)
Here is something else I have learned: The fastest runners and the greatest heroes don’t always win races and battles. Wisdom, intelligence, and skill don’t always make you healthy, rich, or popular. We each have our own share of misfortune.
Our skills, talents and gifts, will bring opportunities our way, but are not assurances that at the end of the day we will have successful careers or successful lives. We all will go through seasons of troubles, seasons of misfortune. How then can we travel through life such that seasons of misfortune don’t destroy all that we have worked for?
We can be like the ant that never fails to store food in the summer in preparation for winter (see Proverbs 6:6-8); in addition we should never fail to pray against misfortune that would be too much for us to cope with (see Luke 11:4).
Above all, our confidence to live successful lives should not be anchored in our talents and gifts, but in Yahweh because: Proverbs 18:10 (Contemporary English Version) – The LORD is a mighty tower where his people can run for safety.
May the Lord protect and bless us, such that our ‘time and chance’ are more about opportunities and progress, rather than misfortune and loss, Amen!
