Unprecedented

“There is nothing unprecedented under the sun.”

That’s how FB friend Doug Raymond paraphrased Ecclesiastes 1:9. 

When I was a kid, Dad took Matt and I camping at a secluded mountain lake off the beaten path. I remember sitting on this massive ledge of stone on the side of the lake. I was talking about some new thing that came out recently, and Dad said, “You know, there’s actually nothing new under the sun.” I replied, “What? How is that possible? This has never existed before like this, so how can you say that?” So that afternoon, sitting in the sun on that rock on the edge of the lake, Dad and I were hashing out the meaning of that verse in Ecclesiastes.

I think Doug is right on. Unprecedented is a great word — meaning, never done or known before. The writer of Ecclesiastes is essentially saying that when you look through the scope of history under the sun, nothing is actually new, surprising, or unprecedented. When we speak of the Divine, we refer to One greater than. One who exists outside of our sphere of time, yet is infinitely aware and involved — not removed or distant, but deeply rooted in the spiritual and physical aspects of our lives. Because of the passage of time, centuries have come and gone. Wars have been won and lost; buildings have been erected and destroyed; cultures have risen and dwindled; wisdom has been gained and forgotten. Throughout it all, the Divine constant has remained.

Here we are in 2021, still dealing with a pandemic. This is unprecedented, we say. We have never dealt with this in our lifetime. Which is true. Historically, there have indeed been pandemics and plagues that have come and gone. There is neither shock, surprise, nor the wringing of hands in the halls of heaven. For the Divine, not unprecedented. 

This is not to say that God is unfeeling, or has a callous disregard for the plight of humanity. When we read the scriptures and follow the teachings of Christ, we find that we have the ability to share goodness, hope, peace, and joy that was divinely gifted to each of us. There’s a verse in the scriptures that encourages us — “Don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Creator of Light; in whom there is nothing deceitful, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle.” These gifts surround us constantly — whether it is a small moment like a smile and word of hope from a friend, or a big blessing that changes a whole village. When we choose to live in ways that bring life to those around us — to use our hands to spread love and not violence, to use our words to speak hope and peace and not discord and fear; to use our finances to bless extravagantly and not hoard selfishly; to be testimonies of the goodness of the Divine gift giver — that is what changes the world. Maybe at first in small ways. That’s ok! When Jesus spoke of sharing the good news of hope and salvation, he essentially said to start first in your city, then your state, then your country, then the world. 

So where am I going with this? God is not taken by surprise at the goings-on of the world. We are quick to forget the scope of history, but truthfully there’s nothing unprecedented happening that is causing God any alarm. Thus we can be encouraged in the knowledge that we have been blessed with amazing gifts to bring peace, hope, and love to those we encounter. Don’t get caught up in worry or fear over something that seems out of your control. Like a lighthouse pummeled by wind and waves, stay steady; stay in serenity; stay above the fray.