There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens... He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end... I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. (Ecclesiastes 3:1,11,14)

In Ecclesiastes 3, we find one of Scripture's most honest acknowledgments of the tension between human longing for understanding and the limitations of our comprehension. The writer tells us that God "has set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end." What a fascinating paradox! We are created with a deep yearning to understand the eternal—to grasp the big picture, to see how all the pieces fit together—yet we are finite beings, incapable of fully comprehending the infinite wisdom of our Creator.

This reality can be frustrating. We want answers. We want to know why certain seasons come when they do, why some prayers seem to go unanswered, why suffering touches some lives more than others. Like Job, we may find ourselves demanding an explanation from God. Yet Ecclesiastes gently reminds us that there is a certain beauty in not knowing everything—in standing in awe before the mystery of God's grand design.

This isn't about blind acceptance or suppressing our questions. Rather, it's about approaching life's mysteries with a posture of humble curiosity. The writer of Ecclesiastes was a seeker of wisdom, someone who earnestly pursued understanding. Yet he arrived at the conclusion that true wisdom begins with acknowledging the limits of human comprehension and the boundlessness of God's ways.

Jesus Himself embraced this mystery. Even as the Son of God, He submitted to the Father's timing and purposes. He said this about His return: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). If Jesus could live faithfully within the boundaries of not knowing everything, how much more should we!

Despite our limited understanding, God "has made everything beautiful in its time." What appears to us as disconnected threads—the joys and sorrows, the gains and losses mentioned in verses 1-8—are being skillfully woven into something beautiful by the hand of God.

Faith is not about having all the answers but about trusting the One who does. Perhaps the greatest act of faith is placing your confidence in the One who sees what you cannot.

By Jim Connell

Jim is the founder of Lexington Rescue Mission, and authors JesusIsLordBlog.com, FaithAnswersPress.net, and FAQs of Faith (a mobile app)