“All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, there they flow again.”
Ecclesiastes 1:7
God has set up many natural systems to show us his power and glory in how He does things in our world and beyond, and also in the spiritual life. One of these is the water cycle. The water is evaporated by the sun into earths atmosphere and becomes vapour in the form of clouds. When the time is right, the vapour falls on the earth as rain, snow or hail, mists and fogs, etc. The rain runs down the earth, as fresh water, and replenished the living things and runs back into the salty sea. The salt water is then, evaporated again, looses it’s salt and is evaporated back into the clouds. So goes the water cycle. The whole system is self-supporting and the mighty seas are kept within the bounds that have been set for them.
“… when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth;”
Proverbs 8:29
The water cycle is necessary for the upkeep of life and the propagation of it on our planet. Without it, or if it was to stop for a minute, we would all perish. The cycle is the guarantee that we are cared for and provided for on this grand level.
“… who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, [in which were] fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where there was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint;’
Deuteronomy 8:15
God provided the necessary water for His people in the wilderness, even through miraculous means. He is the sustainer of all living things and upholds life by the word of His power.
The rivers all run into the sea because this is the way the physicality of the environment has worked out. Each part of the cycle affect the other parts, and that in turn affects the land. This is the purposes of God, that it should be so like this. Gravity pulls the water down from the clouds, down onto the mountains, and down into the sea. The water erodes away the rock and makes the channels in the environment. The rivers continually flow into the sea as part of the water cycle. The shape of the land and everything related to it is influenced by this whole process.
“He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved forever. You covered it with the deep as with a cloak. The waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled. At the voice of your thunder they hurried away. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down, to the place which you had assigned to them.”
Psalm 104:5-8
Even in creation, God uses the forces of His nature to mould and make the mountains and landscape. He is in change of the whole process, as these verses show.
The sea never fills up, because the convection currents and the evaporation physics that pulls the water out for the sea and into the clouds as vapour, never stops. The tides are controlled by the moon and the sea ebbs and flows continually and predictably. The majesty of God is clearly seen in all these wonders. The puny needs of the human is also seen. We seem like pawns on the chessboard. We move in a restricted way and are so seemingly dispensable. Futility fills our hearts and our ways, and we are lost without the Lord. We die without His mighty provision, both in the body and also our souls. We must bow to the majesty of the Lord, and listen to what He is saying to us. We revere His name because of who He is and what He continually does for us.
“He sends springs into the valleys. They run among the mountains. They give drink to every animal of the field.”
Psalm 104:10-11
“What does man gain from all his labour in which he labours under the sun?”
Ecclesiastes 1:3
We have a question. This is a fundamental question which all humans beings ask. Why am I here? What is the point? Why is it so difficult? These are questions which will be addressed in this book.
Why do I have to go to work every day? Work is hard and the regularity of it is often haft to cope with. We go to work to make money to live, but spend most of our time working and not living. The futility of it all can be crushing and many in our days, succumb to the Nihilistic view of anarchy and meaninglessness towards the things that we find ourselves doing. The regularity of the cycle of life bring some into depressive mindsets and the sheer labour of what we do, can get us into a state of thinking that life is just a a treadmill of work, and sleep. Even the things that we enjoy and love, can become just part of the endless cycle of work.
Some make the work their God and give themselves to it. It fills a gaps in their psyche and gives some sense of satisfaction and reward. It keeps our mind busy and our bodies fit. Some let it take over the enjoyment of the fruits of that work, and even let it take over the enjoyment of family and relationships. Is can turn into a great evil, and become an idol which we look to for emotional, intellectual and even spiritual support. It cannot do so, so will certainly become a stumbling block to our lives and thinking processes.
Perhaps it is better to have work that is just work and only provides the money we need for our lives, so that our focus is kept on the things of life that matter, things that pertain to family and other relationships. People are more important than work, but we cannot support and enjoy the people in our lives without financial provision. People must be provided for, and they need more than just food and drink, and the bills paid. Life should have richness, and the deep ties between each of us that keep us together, are supported by the activities we do together and the memories that we can build into our lives.
So the provision we are actually able to make in our lives is of good importance. This is why the job you choose to do is so important, because it will dictate what you are able to do, and the kinds of things you are able to do. It will also impact on the future generation and inform the outcome of what they choose and what they and able to achieve.
Education is of prime significance, since it trains us and teaches us to think and reason logically and well, to take advantage of all our skills to later get a job that will pay for the things we want out of life. Too many don’t take enough advantage of education, and find themselves disadvantaged later in life when it comes to choosing what they would like to do. Other are kept in the dark about these issues and make decisions based on decadent temptations and their own personal wants, without the wisdom to think about where their life decisions will lead. Good councillors are important and families that help children to think about these issues are supportive and wise.
There are other issues involved too, like health and upbringing, attitudes, motivation, prejudices, and all sort of psyche related issues that will determine our mindset, which can be explored to help us understand where we are coming from as human beings and going to as eternal spirits. The two cannot be separated. We have bodies and souls and both must be provided for to make a whole person. Work that provides for both is excellent work, and is the blessing of God. But the provision is the whole of life, kept in balance, and thought about carefully, so that we carry ourselves and others into better places.
