Life's a Rat Race?

Name:Josh
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3
19"Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. 20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"22So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

OAP: I feel icky and tired and i honestly don't know why i picked this section. I was just reading the "time for everything under the sun" passage Nate read tonight, and kept going till i got here. I remember when a group of us got together to brainstorm how to teach Ecclesiastes, and this part stuck out to me then too. At first it just seemed confusing, that right after Solomon says there is a right time and place for everything, that he says that everything is meaningless. Then I realized that this is Solomon doubting his faith. "Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward [to heaven?] and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" He then basically says enjoy: your life on earth, have fun because nothing else afterwards is certain. Its cool that someone so close to God like king Solomon doubts like this, and i guess it just made me realize that its ok to have these misgiving thoughts and questions. Im not sure how to make an application out of this...but yeah.

Prayer: Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for hearing my qualms and skepticisms and being ok with them. Im not sure if im reading this chapter right or anything, if im not give me comprehension and understanding. I just want to hear your voice and apprehend your will.