Ohana Prayer 222 – Ecclesiastes 4
1 Again I looked and saw all the oppression that was taking place under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed— and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors— and they have no comforter.
2 And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living,
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. 5 Fools fold their hands and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind. who are still alive.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Our Heavenly Father, the only true God. We will extol Your name every morning, Your praise will always be on our lips. Thanks be to You, our God, we have tasted the goodness of Your word and received Your blessing. We take refuge in You. We trust and believe that You will take care of every step and detail of our lives. You will give us wisdom and lead us to the right path.
Lord Jesus, our deliverer, deliver us from evil and all our fears and distress in the midst of this dreadful pandemic. Make a way for us so we don’t waste time on unfeasible idea, head into a dead end. Help us to look inward and get rid of what we contributed to our helplessness and worrisome emotions. Lead us to leave the place of loneliness and join our brothers and sisters walking the journey of faith.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, that in You we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another. Just as You explain that You and Father are One. You have arranged people from different backgrounds, including men and women, older and younger to be a part of our church body so that the members may have the same care, support, and respect for one another. Since we are connected in Christ, it is not every person for himself or herself; we are sensitive to the needs of one another and carry each other’s burdens. We pray that our unity in serving You would demonstrate the strength of our ministry that we are in one accord strong like a cord with three strands witnessing to God in the community.
Holy Spirit, full of love, forgive us for wasting too many opportunities under the sun, squandering our time, toiling and laboring and get nothing. At the end, it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Blessed Holy Spirit, help us not to think of ourselves more highly than we should. Instead, be modest in our thinking, and judge ourselves according to the amount of faith that God has given us. Do not toil our lives for competition, hoarding and greed, and do not treat idleness as pleasure. Give us courage ad perseverance to do things that are consequential and to maintain a balance between work and rest in our daily lives. In all things, guard our hearts and minds as we walk the path to eternal life. In Jesus Christ’ s name we pray. Amen