How do King Solomon, Ebenezer Scrooge, 3 Dog Night, & Daniel Powter fit into one devotion? Please read on to find out…
Ecclesiastes 4:7-10 (NIV)
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless-
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
Jewish tradition credits King Solomon with writing 3 books in the Old Testament of the Bible, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. The son of King David, King Solomon is thought to be the wisest man to ever live. His books are filled with life observations, lessons, Christian guidance, and teachings. This week, I am so thankful for King Solomon and the lesson he taught me in Ecclesiastes 4:7-10.
On March 26, I received the news that my job was over and my work was going to another country. It’s not just that I “had a bad day”, as Daniel Powter sang in his popular song of 2005, I felt shock and disbelief. After 14 years of working long hours and doing hard work, my company said that they found someone else to do my work cheaper. Since I know my company is not in financial trouble, I really feel betrayed. However, I’m not the only person in the U.S. experiencing this situation. There were 5000 in my company hearing that their job was eliminated right along with me. It was a horrible feeling, but as a Christian, I knew where to go for help. I first went to the Lord in prayer and then to the Bible for wisdom. In the Bible is where I found Solomon waiting for me with a great story and words of advice.
In the above scripture, Solomon observed a man that worked very hard. He had no family, no friends, and no one in which to share all his wealth. Everything he did was for his own selfish gain and all he did was work. As a result of his actions, he was all alone and life was meaningless. Sadly, he didn’t wake up each morning to hear his child singing or feel a spouse’s kiss and hug. He didn’t experience church and worship, social events, or family gatherings. For most people, it is impossible to imagine living like this man. Perhaps, this passage is where Dicken’s got the idea to write about his character Ebenezer Scrooge or maybe the 70s band, Three Dog Night, read these verses and wrote “One is the Loneliest Number.” Solomon goes on to write that two are better than one in verse 9. Two can help each other and encourage each other. The man in the story didn’t have a friend to pick him up when he was down. There was no one there to cover for him when he was sick. He had no one to call when he was overloaded with work. He was completely and utterly alone.
It would have been easy for me to turn inward this week and overlook many of the blessings in my life. At some moments, I can say that I might have felt like the lonely man that Solomon describes, but the Lord showed me differently. On Friday, I had a great lunch with my friend, Lisa. Being with her made me realize that I am not alone and I am blessed to have a great family and good friends in my life that help and encourage me. Throughout this week, my husband has been wonderful and patient, as I forgot laundry, didn’t want to cook, and slept a lot more than usual. My sister, Nancy, called me daily to check on me and encourage me with funny stories and things she was doing in Florida. My family has been awesome from my brother and sisters, to my cousins. (Thank you Magnus, Austin, Nancy, Arlen, Chris, Sarah, Thomas, etc.) Lifelong friends that I have connected with on facebook and email have written me notes to ask how I was doing. (Thank you Anne, Janet, Jane, Candy, Susan, Sandy1, Sandy 2, Myra, Tammy, Freddie, Mary Jane, and many others) Friends from work have been encouraging and wonderful. (Thank you Theresa, David1, Richard, William, Pam, Karen, David2, Eric, Rob, Bing, Frank, and many others) Friends from church have been so encouraging. (Thank you Marilyn, Lisa, Lynda, Sandy, Tammy, Kendra, Yvonne, and others)
Thank you Solomon for making me truly realize that one is a lonely number and God never intended us to make it alone. It takes family and friends that are willing to encourage, support, and care for each other. I’m truly blessed that my life is not defined by my work, but by the Lord above. I pray that I will also be a support for my family and friends as they experience their own “bad days.”
You will grow so much from this experience. Pastor Mark always says: We do not always suffer because we are unrighteous, but suffering always produces deeper righteousness in those who embrace it.
I know in my past I have tended to forget that, but when the storm has passed I have felt more under God’s wing. Remember our dad having this hung in his office at church? “If you don’t feel close to God, guess who moved?”
Maybe he wants to pull you closer so you can serve Him in another capacity, or in my prayers something else that came to mind was possibly He’s protecting you from something that might happen if you were to stay employed with your current company. He really works things in mysterious ways. Once I was supposed to go to San Francisco when I worked for the military, remember? Suddenly I developed a very bad ear infection overnight the day before I was to leave. I had to call my boss and tell him I couldn’t fly. They were upset with me, but I knew I couldn’t do it with my ear pain already. The next day – on the TV is a plane crash in Dallas/Fort Worth – NO SURVIVORS. That was my flight and guess what? My ear infection was gone!
God didn’t want me to go yet – He had plans! And believe me, if He had plans for me, He has them for you as well and He will NEVER desert you. He is probably smiling saying Oh Jeanne, you are going to love what I have in store for you.