How we understand ourselves and life
in this world is inexorably linked to
how we understand God. Knowing
ourselves and understanding the world
in which we live is something about
which we are all concerned. Augustine
confessed to God, ‘I could not find
myself, much less find you.’ Sixties’
folk singer Joni Mitchell sang ‘I’ve
looked at life from both sides now’ but
lamented ‘I really don’t know life at
all.’ In this contemporary look at the
book of Ecclesiastes, Peter Barnes
takes up these issues. Life is examined
honestly and perceptively, confronting
us with the realities of life in a
fallen world and the inevitability of
death. Thinking carefully about all the
apparent meaninglessness of life can
actually be used by God, who is totally
good, to lead us to himself. All else
fails; God alone is worthy of our
trust. This is an evangelistic book
that has been written especially for
those who are perplexed by the futility
and emptiness of life and who may be
seeking after God, meaning and
fulfilment. It also provides a useful
evangelistic resource for Christians
keen to share their faith in Christ
with others.