The Big Picture (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
– Ecclesiastes 3:11

Oh, let this verse soak in and change your perspective on life today—and on the world around you.

God has made everything beautiful in its time. This verse is a potent reminder that we do not see the full tapestry God is weaving across all of time. We see only a small part.

We can become so focused on the small part we see—on the day-to-day realities before us, on the struggles, challenges, sorrows, and trials of the moment—that we fail to see how they relate to the larger picture. We cannot see how they fit even into the picture of a year, or two, or ten years—much less the picture of a century, and far less the picture of all time.

Yet God sees it all.

This verse calls us to trust God in the long term—to trust him in the comprehensive view of time that he alone possesses. As the rest of Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us, God has put eternity into our hearts. There is eternity past, and there is eternity yet to come. What God has done from beginning to end, he sees in full, in a way none of us can.

So let Ecclesiastes 3:11 draw you today toward deeper trust in God—not viewing your life or the world merely in short-term categories, limited to what you can see or have already seen. You are not able to see what lies ahead, but God is. He is all-wise, all-good, all-loving, all-sovereign, all-powerful, just, and merciful. For all who trust in Jesus, he is our Father.

Look to him as the one who holds time in his hands. Trust that he makes all things beautiful in their time. He sees all things across all of time. As his Word makes clear, he promises that he is working all things together for good—for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

So we pray, based on Ecclesiastes 3:11:

O God, we trust in you. We confess and acknowledge before you that we cannot see what you see. We struggle because of our lack of sight—because we cannot see what is coming, and because we cannot see all that you are doing. Forgive us, O God, we pray.

Our minds are small; our view is limited. We trust that your view spans all of time, that you are all-wise in ways we are not, all-loving, perfect, and holy in ways beyond us. You are just and merciful far beyond what we can comprehend.

So today we say: we trust in you. We trust in you for eternity. We trust you with our lives forever.

We praise you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for our sins so that we can be forgiven and not held to account for them for all eternity. We praise you for the hope of eternal life in heaven and for the confidence we have today that you are working all things together in our lives—for our good, for your glory, and for the spread of your gospel and goodness to all peoples of the world.

We know where all of eternity is headed: every tribe, nation, and tongue bowing before your throne.

A Prayer for the Yadu Qiang People of China

So God, we pray today for the Yadu Qiang people of China—a people group of approximately 39,000 Tibetan Buddhists in Sichuan Province. Please cause the good news of your grace to spread among them, so that for all eternity the Yadu Qiang people will be represented around your throne, alongside every other people group in the world.

May it be so, O God. Give success to the spread of the gospel among all the nations of the earth, so that ultimately, in time, all tribes, peoples, and languages are gathered around your throne, enjoying your grace and glory forever.

Help us, O God, to view our lives today, this week, and the world around us in light of your Word in Ecclesiastes 3:11—that you are Lord over time.

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.