Finding the Masterpiece in Our Moment
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
Have you ever read the book of Ecclesiastes? On the surface, all it seems to be is a commentary on the brokenness of humanity and our limitations within the bounds of the short amount of time we have here on earth. Sounds kind of burdensome and depressing, right?
Indeed, the intention of the writer is that we would feel the hopelessness that comes from following our own pursuits and attempting to fulfill our deepest longings with things and ideas that are simply not meant to satisfy us. We live on a linear timeline. We are born, and then we die. The length of that experience obviously varies for everyone, but it ends the same way, nonetheless.
However, it is not the intention of the author that we remain in a state of despair. He writes that God “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” (Eccl 3:11). What we see here is some otherworldly good news in the midst of what is a pretty gloomy prognosis for us on earth. God has placed a longing in the hearts of humanity that is acutely aware of the greater, eternal God who exists outside of the bounds of time. He has made everything beautiful within time and, incredibly, has a plan outside of time that is greater and more wonderful than we could ever fathom.
Between the years 1508 and 1512, under Pope Julius II, Michelangelo was commissioned to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This piece is considered a masterwork that changed the course of Western art and is widely understood to be one of the most significant artistic accomplishments in history. I think about what it must have been like to walk into the chapel only a matter of months into this project. If you were to look up to the ceiling, all you might have been able to see would be a smattering of various lines, colors, and strokes. You might have been able to see some of the beautiful beginnings of what would ultimately be the result, but you wouldn’t know how the whole thing connected together.
But obviously, Michelangelo knew what he was creating, and when we see it today, we see what he intended from the start. Just like with Michelangelo, if we can fully appreciate the process and see the beauty in what God is doing, our contentment will increase, allowing us to be who God has designed us to be in our current situations. When we can rest in the knowledge that God is at work while we are waiting, we can have peace in our tension-filled lives concerning direction and vision for the future. The Scriptures remind us that “no one can find out what God has done from the beginning to the end,” but we can continue to do the next right thing and trust that he is creating a beautiful masterpiece for which only he knows the plans.
How can you grow in your trust that God is working in ways you cannot see?
Excerpted with permission from Finding Soul Rest: 40 Days of Connecting with Christ by Curtis Zackery. Published in 2020 by Lexham Press.
Curtis “CZ” Zackery is the author of Soul Rest. He has served in various ministry and leadership roles for the past 20 years—including church planting, pastoring, and speaking on rest, the kingdom of God, and the beauty of the gospel. Curtis, his wife, Monique, and two sons, Noah and Micah, currently live in Franklin, TN.