Ecclesiastes 7:14

Be joyful in prosperity and reflective in adversity, knowing God sends both so we cannot foresee the future. It matters because God ordains both good and hard times to keep us humble and dependent on Him.

Cross-references · 26

• Eccl 3:4a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
• Eccl 3:22I have seen 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 come after him?
• Deut 8:3He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
• Eccl 12:13When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
• Jas 5:13Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
• Deut 28:47Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart in all your abundance,
• Isa 26:11O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!
• 2 Chr 33:12–13And in his distress, Manasseh sought the favor of the LORD his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his fathers.
• Ps 119:71It was good for me to be afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.
• Matt 9:13But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
• Ps 40:3He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
• Ps 94:12–13Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD, and teach from Your law,
• 1 Kgs 17:17–18Later, the son of the woman who owned the house became ill, and his sickness grew worse and worse, until no breath remained in him.
• Jer 23:20The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has fully accomplished the purposes of His heart. In the days to come you will understand this clearly.
• Job 10:1–2“I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
• John 16:22–23So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
• Ps 30:11–12You turned my mourning into dancing; You peeled off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
• Mic 6:9The voice of the LORD calls out to the city (and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name): “Heed the rod and the One who ordained it.
• Luke 15:17–18Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food? But here I am, starving to death!
• Acts 14:22strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
• Hos 2:6–7Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot find her way.
• 1 Kgs 8:47and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’
• Isa 22:12–14On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.
• Isa 42:25So He poured out on them His furious anger and the fierceness of battle. It enveloped them in flames, but they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.
• Eccl 12:8“Futility of futilities,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile!”
• Hag 1:5–7Now this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways.

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.