We know there are burdens in life. Solomon speaks of these. Ecclesiastes 3: 9 What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.[1] Solomon questioned the worth of hard work in the first two chapters of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 1: 3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?[2] And now, after looking at the times of life, Solomon repeats the question.
Hard work is only one of the burdens that we have in this life. Given a choice, we would choose a life free from problems. But what would we be like in a problem-free life? I think it would ruin us. God knows that people protected from everything are impossible to live with. They become selfish, cruel, shallow, and unprincipled. They can’t identify with others and their problems.
Paul’s Burden
The Apostle Paul gives us insight into his burdens and how God used them in his life. Romans 5: 3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love[3].
Paul faced all kinds of spiritual opposition as a missionary taking the Gospel out to the known world. It wasn’t easy; at times, it was burdensome. Yet, God used these times to grow Paul’s faith and to make him a better evangelist.
He knew he needed God’s help along the way because he couldn’t control the times. Solomon had come to the same conclusion. He had listed times of life at the beginning of chapter three, but he was not in control of them. If Solomon only looked at hard work from a worldly point of view, it was meaningless.
God Uses Our Burdens
Just as an athlete works out to prepare for the game, God uses the burdens of life to grow our faith. There are times when we must set aside our will for God’s. We grow to depend on God in our struggles, and our relationship deepens.
After Paul showed how the burdens of life change us, he goes on to say: Romans 5: 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.
May the burdens in life lead you to a deeper relationship with Jesus. To find out more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/lament-time
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.