17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? 26 To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.—The words of King Solomon from Ecclesiastes 2:17-25
When I first joined the fire department back in 1965, ordinary fire fighters still rode on the tailstep of the fire engine1 or fire truck2 on the way to a fire. We did not have safety belts. We just had to hang on for dear life as the apparatus sped through the village streets and rural roads on the way to the scene of the fire. Such an unsafe practice has long ago faded away.
Clinging to the grab bar above the tailstep, I could see through the rear window into the cab of the fire engine. The driver and the officer beside him rode in relative comfort and safety as we negotiated the turns, hills, and valleys. I longed to ride inside.
One day, a call came in during a time when the company officer had suddenly become sick and had left the fire house. His replacement officer had not yet arrived. As the bell hit for a box alarm, the chief officer yelled over his shoulder, “Wilson! Ride shotgun!”
I needed no further encouragement. As I entered the cab of the engine, the driver said tersely, “See that button on the floor by your right foot? That operates the siren. When we pull out of the fire house, stomp on that button!”
With a roar the engine came to life. As the fire fighters on the rear step pressed a button that operated a buzzer in the cab to let the driver know they were on board and ready to roll, the driver shifted the five-speed manual transmission into low gear, released the clutch, and we bounded out the door.
My booted foot slammed down on the floor button and the siren motor began to turn. I don’t imagine you civilians reading this will have any concept of the sense of power I had as the mighty Federal Q siren began to wail. We used to joke that, if vehicles did not get out of our way, the sheer power of the Q would push them aside.
When we arrived at the scene of the fire and brought the flames under control, the chief officer approached me and asked, “Well, Wilson, are you ready to sign up for officer training?”
“Yes, Chief,” I replied with a smile.
“Good! The first thing you’ll learn is that you don’t have to keep your foot on the siren button all the way to the scene of the fire.”
Aha! Occasional modulation can prove worthwhile. This applies to a lot of things in life that require significant effort. You don’t have to approach every task full tilt. Sometimes the best progress you can make comes from a period of intense effort followed by a period of more modest effort—occasional modulation, if you will.
In the Scripture passage at the beginning of this blog post, King Solomon addresses the issue of “toil” and concludes that toil by itself gains nothing that will last. It takes toil and an outpouring of God’s grace. A man or woman may invest toil into any project. But God gives the wisdom, knowledge, and happiness.
That sentiment dovetails nicely with instruction that King Solomon has given us in Proverbs 3:5-6:
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
(or, “and He will direct your paths.”)
The only way we can possibly approach our Christian lives—with a determination to successfully stay on the pathway that God has laid out for us—becomes available to us when we rely on the Holy Spirit to bring occasional modulation into our lives. We need to trust Him to know when to put the foot on the siren switch and when to let up. If we do not heed His direction, we will toil in vain.
The wise words of King Solomon remind me of a classic hymn with special significance for this Independence Day:
God of Our Fathers
Words written by Daniel C. Roberts in 1876
on the occasion of the Centennial of the United States
Music written by George W. Warren in 1888—National Hymn—
on the occasion of the Centennial of the Constitution of the United States
God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies:
Our grateful songs before your throne arise.
Your love divine has led us in the past;
In this free land by you our lot is cast;
Oh, be our ruler, guardian, guide, and stay;
Your Word our law, your paths our chosen way.
From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence
Make your strong arm our ever sure defense.
Your true religion in our hearts increase;
Your bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
Refresh your people on their toilsome way;
Lead us from night to never ending day;
Fill all our lives with heaven born love and grace
Until at last we meet before your face.
May God, indeed, “refresh us on our toilsome way,” as the Holy Spirit gives us occasional modulation in our lives.
Will you pray with me?
Thank You, God, for loving us. Thank You for sending Jesus to be our Savior. Thank You for sending us Your Holy Spirit to dwell within us.
Precious Father, we fill our lives full to overflowing with striving to execute Your will by toiling along the pathway You have laid out for us. Help us to learn that we need to rely on Your Holy Spirit to give us some occasional modulation in our efforts to serve You. While we choose daily to immerse ourselves in Your Word, to discern Your will, and to move in the direction You show us, we also need to learn to trust in You. Please show us when to stop and wait, as well as when to move forward full-steam-ahead.
With joy in our hearts, we thank You, Gracious Father, for hearing our prayer in and through the powerful Name of Your Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
1 A fire engine carries water and hoses to direct water onto a fire.
2 A fire truck carries ladders and tools to gain entrance into a burning building.
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