When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned by Michael Rowntree (Ecclesiastes 9:11–18)

Why is it that "under the sun," the race is not always to the swift, the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise?

In this message on Ecclesiastes 9:11–18, Michael Rowntree explores the uncomfortable reality that life does not always reward merit. "Time and chance" disrupt our expectations of fairness, and wisdom often goes unnoticed.

Michael unpacks the parable of the poor wise man who delivered a city yet was immediately forgotten, illustrating a hard truth: Wisdom is valuable, but it is also vulnerable. In a fallen world, wisdom builds, but "one sinner destroys much good."

Yet, the call is to value wisdom not for the applause or success it brings, but for the objective good and beauty it brings into God’s world. Discover why "wisdom is better than weapons of war," even when it goes unrewarded.