As you read this sentence, a moment of your life has passed by that will never happen again. Time is linear. Once a moment happens, it will never “be” again. That’s how time works in this world. The Bible teaches us that God is Sovereign. That means He controls all things, including time. In this series, we’ve wrestled with the fact that man cannot totally grasp God’s purpose and plan for this world. In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon considers these facts and gives us the proper response to God’s sovereignty. Today we’ll see that because our lives are subject to God’s will, we should submit to Him. Solomon gives two reasons why we should submit our lives to God: 

First, we should submit our lives to God because death is inevitable (Eccl. 9:1-6). Solomon says our deeds are “in the hand of God.” All of us are subject to God’s sovereign will. We’re not the masters of our own fate. We can’t control the future, our success, other people, and ultimately, we can’t control the day that we die. But God controls all these things. Solomon reminds us that we’re all subject to the same fate. Solomon contrasts the righteous and the wicked, and on a surface level it seems like there’s no difference in the end. Both face adversity and hate. Both experience prosperity and love. And both die in the end. 

Sadly, this fact has caused many people to live in wickedness because they think that death is the end. Man’s response to the reality of death is to live in rampant wickedness and pursue whatever evil desires he can possibly imagine. But what’s the problem with that lifestyle? You still die in the end, and you will face God’s judgment. Ecclesiastes 3:17 warned that God will judge the righteous and the wicked. God is the final Judge and those that live in wickedness will face His wrath. So, life has advantages over death. He who is joined to the living has hope. If you’re still breathing, then there’s hope for your soul. Hope for what? Hope for a life of meaning, to escape the vanity of this world, and to find eternal joy in God. The dead are forgotten and will never return. Their life on this earth is over. However, there is still hope for the living.

Second, we should submit our lives to God because He can give us true joy (Eccl. 9:7-10). Life is a gift from God. Our food, clothing, goods, and relationships are gifts from God and should be enjoyed. Our lives are fleeting, so we should enjoy the time that we have. God wants us to enjoy His gifts. He approves of those that fear Him and seek to please Him with their lives. God controls the hearts of men, so only He can give us true joy and peace. Even common things like eating and drinking are a gift from God and should be used for His glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Life is not always a party, it’s not always easy, but it can be joyful. 

Solomon commends things like marriage and hard work. God created these things for us to enjoy. We only have one life on this earth, so we should use it to serve and honor God. He has given us so many blessings to use and appreciate. We should make the most of the talents and abilities that God has given us. We should take the opportunities that the Lord puts in front of us. We should work hard for the glory of God and give Him all the praise.

Where do you find joy? This life is short, and our time is running out. Thankfully, this life can be enjoyed when we submit to God. God controls all things. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is before all things, He knows all things, and all things are for Him. So, we should submit to our Creator and Lord. We can have hope in life and death because of Christ. Only Jesus can rescue us from our sin and guarantee our home in heaven. He is our only hope. So, submit to Christ because life is short and true joy is only found in Him.