Remember God

The wisest person who lived on earth has left us such interesting remark after he realized that life is vain and futile when God is not recognized. Solomon, as he progressed in life, came to a point that he depended on the wisdom that he acquired and exchanged it from the One who lives as its true source. As much as he tried in His utmost to find life’s value in the things that He’s doing under the sun to fill what’s lacking in His heart, he spent so many years only to know and prove that the answer he’s looking for was elusive. 

Such remark gives us two things. First is confession. As he reached his old age and pleasure and desire has left him, how he wished that he never drifted away from the purpose as to why he was born and why God has given him the wisdom to know and understand things. That he never let the things that caught his eyes caught his heart as well. That his reverence and acknowledgement that He has given to God while he was young is something that he also brought in himself when he became advanced in years. While he was living in the pedestal of wealth, wisdom, power, riches and fame along with his strength, vigor and intellect, there lies in the inside of his soul, an empty, unsatisfied longing heart. A heart that was damaged by the cares of this world as he pursued his value on the things that he attained and accomplished under the sun and not to the One who gave the significance of his life throughout his years. He almost forgot to look up as he focused his eyes looking across the motions and the cycles of life and looking down on the fate where man’s ultimate end is.

Yet in the mask of such confession, he subtly leaves a beautiful reminder to us who will have the time to read and learn not to follow what he did. Which brings us to our second point that is consolation. That even though it may seem that his findings will make one depressed and discouraged, he confirmed a single mandate that will help us find comfort and purpose while we are having our mundane experiences here on earth. It is to remember God. The call of doing it now indicates a sense of urgency. Solomon knew that man has a tendency to be occupied with so many things and forget God and it places a big gap in man’s walk with Him in his lifetime. Yet God in his justice and mercy gives man time to acknowledge Him and come to terms with Him. Man will always be exasperated in his vulnerability to his exposure to frustrations and struggles, or be arrogant in his capability to have success and victory. But it is a great advantage that when we, in every moment of our lives, chose to acknowledge and be engaged with Him, will define the source of our purpose not under, but above the sun. We cannot afford to live our lives apart from Him. It was not too late for Solomon to do this in the latter years of his life as he realized that there is still hope to regain his true purpose that was removed by his vain pursuit.

God is always there, waiting to allow Him to fill the void in our hearts and letting Him be a part of our living existence. And how blessed we are today that we cannot only remember God but we can also have an access with Him through receiving Jesus.

His endeavor to see life’s value apart from God was not absolutely worthless. In his quest to know what life’s value is all about, his discovery has given us an instruction to contemplate it in our lives today. If you think that who you are, what you do, and where you at is something you consider as the most valuable thing in your life, think again. The true value in this life lies in remembering God.

“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come,

And the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’”
Ecclesiastes 12:1