Right Place at the Right Time

 ^"I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. It is all decided by chance, by being in the right place at the right time." (Ecclesiastes 9:11, NLT)

I read Ecclesiastes 9 this morning and this verse jumped off the page. I had several verses around it highlighted, but today this is the one the Holy Spirit chose to show me. It resonated with my heart today.

When I read this, the verses that came to mind immediately was Psalm 37:23-24 that says, "The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. ²⁴ Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand." This Psalm was written by David, the father of Solomon who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes.

I began to ponder on these two scriptures. Both King David and King Solomon were successful. David was in the right place at the right time when God chose him to be the next King of Israel. Solomon, was the second son born to King David through one of David's most remembered sins, adultery and murder, and of all of David's sons, he was the one chosen to become king after David. He was born in the right place at the right time. What does this say about God? It says that He does work all things together for good...(Romans 8:28).

The scripture doesn't say much about this father/son relationship, but Solomon must have observed his father and his ways. David had a heart after God and didn't focus on his position or wealth. What gives this away is that when God came to Solomon and asked him what he wanted, he asked for wisdom and not riches.

King Solomon ended up with all of it. Not only did he have wisdom, he had wealth. But this verse in Ecclesiastes shows us that he recognized that life is in the hands of God and where you end up truly has to do with how much you are listening to the voice of God. We see that later in King Solomon's life, he stopped listening to God and ended up losing his way.

I don't know where you are today. Maybe you like me are wondering, "how did I get here?" It may not be where you thought you'd be. Or maybe you are living a life more that what you thought you would have. Wherever you find yourself at this moment, lost, it's not to late to invite Him to join you now. On the other hand, if you've allowed God into your journey, then you are where you are "for such a time as this." (Esther 4:14) 

Keep listening for Him to tell you when to take the next step. If you do, you will end up in the right place at the right time.