DEVOTION – DAY 122

Ecc.9:11 “God Is In Control”

 

Ecclesiastes 9:11 I have seen something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favour to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

 

There is much wisdom in this verse. It reminds us that humans have no control over events. We think we have control but in reality we do not. We see this all the time. In the 2012 US election, Hilary Clinton was running for President. She had vast experience in politics. She was an ex-President’s wife. She also held the position as Secretary of the State. Everyone expected her to win the election but she lost to Donald Trump who had no previous experience in politics.

Lance Armstrong was at the peak of his cycling career unbeatable. He had won a record 7 Tour De France cycling trophies. Then, rumours surfaced that he had taken performance enhancing drugs that enabled him to have an unfair advantage over his competitors. Investigations began into the allegations of drug taking and in the end, Lance Armstrong was forced to surrender all his 7 Tour De France cycling titles and prize monies won in 2012. He also lost his Olympic titles in cycling.

These are just two examples of people who were so sure that they were going to stay on top of their chosen careers only to find out the truth that lies in this verse that the race may not be won by those who are swift, and the battle may not be won by those who are strong. The verses also tells us that those who are rich or well educated do not always get what they had hoped to achieve. This is because life is full of events that are outside our control. The verse tells us that time and chance happens to everyone. Anything can happen and does happen when we least expect it to. Donald Trump at the beginning of 2020 thought he would definitely win the US election in Nov 2020. The US economy was doing well and his popularity ratings were high. But the Covid-19 pandemic and his poor handling of the spread of the virus revealed his weaknesses and he lost the election. He was unable to control the outcome of events. This verse leads us to the obvious conclusion that in a world where we are not in control, we can only put our faith and trust in the one person who is in control of all things at all times – that is God. We have to learn to depend on Him and not on ourselves. We have to submit our lives and plans to Him to lead us.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship You, the Sovereign Almighty God. We humbly admit that we are not in control of anything and please help us to surrender all our plans, all that we have to You to take charge over and for your glory. In the great name of the Lord Jesus we ask. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What situations did you experience in the past where you were certain of an outcome but as subsequent events unfolded, the outcome was the opposite? What situations do you see in politics, sports, history, your own circle of friends and family that confirm the truth of this verse? Share.
  2. What can you learn from such experiences about life’s uncertainties? Share
  3. If much of life is uncertain, how does knowing that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever help you? Discuss.