IT IS HARD TO DRIVE A NAIL ONCE BENT!

IT IS HARD TO DRIVE A NAIL ONCE BENT!

Eccl 1:15

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

Eccl 7:13-14

13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.

          This proverb urges man to be in submission to the providence of God. We often decide that God has made things crooked and we then engage in the task of making the circumstances straight. We want the circumstances to fit our notion of what should be right. We preachers do this all the time thinking that to be our calling. It is a Messiah complex that often frustrates us when crooked people can’t be made straight by our efforts. Some things and some people can’t be made straight simply by wanting them to be.

          We are left with two courses of action regarding the workings of God. These are listed in verse fourteen. First, in the day of prosperity when everything seems straight to us, be joyful and thank God that there are no uncomfortable twists and turns in the circumstances of your life. In the day of adversity consider that there is nothing certain in this life. The word “consider” means to study thoroughly or to meditate so as to fully and properly understand. We can’t fully understand why God does what He does. He has His own plans and purposes. In the absence of our understanding, He bids us to trust in His nature, wisdom and goodness.

          It is hard to drive a nail once bent, but not impossible. There will always be a weakness that keeps it from piercing true unless it is hammered carefully by a skilled carpenter. Some things, once done, can’t be undone and crooked people can be made straight by God alone.

Jesus, Master Carpenter, make straight the crookedness in my loved ones and me. Look upon the injustice and judge. Calm all that frustrates us. Heal all that ails us. Hammer us gently home for we are bent. AMEN