God’s plan is better
But even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time, I know that those who fear God will be better off. ~ Ecclesiastes 8:12
Knowing that God is longsuffering and patient is one of the most comforting truths we can hold on to. No one can withhold judgment like He does and no one waits better than He does. I say this from personal experience. For years, I lived life my own way, determined to follow my desires and unwilling to listen to wise counsel. I ignored consequences and brushed off any warnings. Looking back, I see how foolish I was and how much heartache I brought on myself that could have been avoided.
That is why today’s verse hit me so deeply. I have experienced the sorrow that comes from chasing my own will, and I have encountered the goodness and mercy of a patient Father. God didn’t give up on me even when I was far from Him. And now, having walked in His blessing and purpose for years, I can say without hesitation: life lived in the fear of the Lord is far better than anything I could’ve made up on my own. When we try to make our own way in this world, we end up walking under the weight of confusion, frustration, and brokenness. The scriptures tell us that we live under a curse. However, when we surrender to God’s way, we step into the covering of His wisdom, peace, and grace. That’s when we walk in His blessed path.
In today’s reading, Solomon acknowledged the confusing and seemingly unfair nature of life. Sometimes the wicked seem to prosper, and the righteous suffer. Even though we don’t always understand why (vv.14–17), he brings us back to a central truth: following God’s way is always the better choice. Living for God doesn’t guarantee an easy life, but it does promise a life of greater meaning, deeper joy, and eternal rewards.
Have you ever looked around and felt frustrated at the unfairness in the world? Maybe you’ve tried to live right, yet things seem harder for you than for those who live without ever considering there is a God. This passage reminds us not to measure life by immediate results but by eternal truth. What looks like success in the world’s eyes is often fleeting, but what’s done to honor God lasts forever.
Below are some ways that you can implement this truth in your life:
- Choose daily surrender: Start your day by acknowledging God and committing your thoughts and plans to Him.
- Resist comparison: When tempted to envy the path of the wicked, remind yourself that God’s justice is perfect and His timing is sure.
- Enjoy life with gratitude: Solomon encourages us to enjoy the simple gifts such as food, fellowship, and the work we’ve been givenbas blessings from God (v.15).
- Trust even when you don’t understand: Accept that not everything will make sense now, but God is always working behind the scenes (v.17).
Take 5 minutes today to reflect on your journey with God. Write down the areas where you’ve seen His mercy and the places where you’ve experienced blessing as you’ve walked in obedience. Then, pray and ask Him to help you continue to live in holy fear of Him, trusting that no matter what you see around you, those who fear God will be better off.
Today I want to encourage you that even though you may not have all the answers, and life may not always feel fair, there is something you can count on and that is that God is just, patient, and always good. His way may not always seem like the easiest, but it is always the best. When you fear the Lord and walk with Him, you will see that what He builds in your life is stronger, deeper, and more satisfying than anything you could have built on your own. No matter how long others seem to get away with evil, remember this: those who fear God will live a fuller, blessed life, always.
Today’s scripture reading: Ecclesiastes 8:10-17
10 Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.
13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God.
14 There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.
15 So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night,
17 then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it.
The Daily Dose 