Connections

I'm at awe at the way God works. I can't really express it or explain it well, but I can confidently say I understand Romans 8:28 better in light of this past year. It started with choosing Abel's name and how it connected with his birth and weight. It was comforting to know God was giving clues to us that He cared and was with us.

After Abel's memorial service, a friend asked why we read the book of Ecclesiastes to Abel the morning he passed away. I honestly don't know why. God laid the book on Deb's heart and I read it that morning. I think we both knew the essence of the book is about practical (right or wrong) observations about life, and that at the end of the matter, we need to trust God because everything will be revealed at the end.

But just this past week, I finished reading "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by Fee and Stuart. Here is what I read concerning how to read the book of Ecclesiastes:

At issue ultimately in reading Ecclesiastes is to come to trems with the frequently used - and very important - word hebel ("vanity," NRSV; "meaningless," NIV; "futility," NJB), which occurs thirty-seven times in this book (out of the seventy-three of the OT). The word itself means "vapor" or "breath/wisp of air" (cf. Ps. 39:5; Prov. 31:30; Isa 57:13).

God is good.