How to find meaning and purpose in God this year

It would be an understatement to say 2020 didn’t turn out as expected. Emotional, physical, or financial strain may have stripped dreams for last year — or this year — right out from under your feet. The very thing you thought made your life successful may have vanished in mere months. 

Let’s flip the script and take a positive outlook moving into a brand new year. If you were given one wish to turn this new year around, what would you want? Is there something so special that could far outweigh the rest of the year, to make this one of your best years yet? 

All the wishes and more

There is a person in history who had the luxury of having as many of these “special wishes” as he wanted. He was the king of Israel during its greatest economic flourishing and he wrote about his lifestyle in a small book of the Bible called Ecclesiastes.

In his own words he said, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil” (2:10).

Sounds pretty great, right? …

I thought so too, but the next sentence (2:11) caused me to pause. “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was HEVEL.”

What does ‘hevel’ mean?

“Hevel” is a Hebrew word, and English translations can't quite do it justice. Yet this is the word chosen to summarize all the author’s achievements, and there’s significance in understanding what it means. 

“Hevel” is used nearly 40 times throughout Ecclesiastes. It’s used to describe pleasure (2:1), working endlessly (2:21, 4:8), pursuing success with envy (4:4), fame (4:16, 8:10), and wealth (5:10). 

Literally, “hevel” means smoke or vapor. 

When you see smoke, it looks like it’s really there. But it quickly disappears. It is fleeting.

Smoke looks solid. But when you reach out to touch it, you can’t actually grasp it. It is elusive.

Even if you think you’ve grabbed a hold of it — when you look in your hand, it’s empty. It is worthless.

Finally, when you’re lost amid all this smoke, it’s impossible for you to see clearly. 

So often we spend our lifetime striving after wealth, power and pleasure. Even though those things look real and solid (like smoke), the moment you try to grasp them — you can’t. When you step back to admire these things, you’ll find them empty, worthless and gone as quickly as they came.

If you’re like me, you're left with the question … 

So what is not “hevel”? 

I believe the Bible also answers this question for us in Philippians. The apostle Paul lists his impressive resume in Chapter 3, but then concludes it by saying, “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ” (3:7-8). 

The one thing of lasting, infinite value 

Like Paul, I boldly declare that everything I’ve achieved is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Jesus.

During times of heartbreak and being rejected by others, I was accepted, loved, and comforted by Jesus. When I moved to a new city without knowing anyone, Jesus came to me as a friend. When I was consumed with anger, Jesus brought me joy and peace. When I was uncertain about the future, Jesus gave me guidance as I trusted Him.

Jesus has taught me to be satisfied in Him rather than my accomplishments. Knowing Jesus brought me joy in ways the world could never offer. 

Like smoke — the world’s pleasure, endless work, envious success, fame, and wealth are elusive, empty, and fleeting. But Jesus is the rock, and knowing him has brought me lasting satisfaction.

I know we’re only at the beginning, but when you step back and evaluate your success at the end of this year, I urge you not to define it like the world does. Rather let this be the estimation of each day’s value: Do I know Jesus more today than I did before? 

P.S. to dive deeper, check out the Bible Project’s YouTube video on this topic. 

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Nathan Richey works with people around the world who don’t have the Bible in their language, training them to translate it for the first time. He and his wife Marissa enjoy running and playing new board games with friends.