Watch the video above then discuss as a group:

1. Can you share both a time when life seemed like a random series of events and a time when it seemed like there was an intentional plan unfolding?
2. Coming back to Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, what does the author say is the wisdom that he has found?
   

   13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

3. In what ways might someone’s view of eternity affect their sense of meaning and purpose? If you believe we all have a purpose, what role does God play in that?

When life seems to make little sense, it’s easy to fall prey to the “It’s meaningless!” trap. Indeed, the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes is built around these very words. In stark contrast stands the book of Job, in which the lead character exclaims, “Though [God] slay me, yet I will hope in him” (Job 13:15). In other words, hard experiences in life can jade us to any sense of purpose. Rather than looking at life through the lens of our experience, another option is to look for some sense of truth outside ourselves.

Jesus states in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Discovering our purpose is one of the most important endeavors in life. If what Jesus says is true, then if we simply ask, seek, and knock, God will meet us wherever we are and address our heart’s desire.