A Longing in Our Soul.............

Solomon was crushed by the realization that on his own, he could not fashion a happiness or satisfaction that would endure beyond the momentary. In Ecclesiastes 3, he turned his expression of frustration on God who made him, concluding, “He has put eternity into man’s heart” (3:11). In this passage eternity refers to our deep and abiding awareness of something outside the boundaries of our senses. We are unique because we hunger for something the experiences of this planet cannot satisfy....a quest for eternity. The implications of Solomon’s statement are staggering....people are looking for the eternity God created for us to long for, but no one can find it on their own. What Solomon tried in vain to fill is woven into the fabric of human existence. 

God designed us so we can’t find fulfillment or lasting enjoyment apart from this eternity. The more we try to satisfy our deepest longing by good and bad horizontal means, the more likely we are to miss God’s vertical invitation to experience Him. We look for satisfaction in raises, rewards, job advancements, relations....on and on, but God is the One who has placed eternity in our hearts....and only He can fill it.

"....He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end." Ecclesiastes 3:11