Ohana Prayer 224 – Ecclesiastes 6
1 I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind:
2 God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.
3 A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.
6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?
7 Everyone’s toil is for their mouth, yet their appetite is never satisfied.
11 The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?
12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?
Our Heavenly Father, Majestic Master of Life who gives us wealth, and possession. Thank you for the gifts of riches, time, life, children, work and blessings. We firmly believe that You will grant the desires of our hearts and we will not lack any good thing. Father, forgive us, in our abundance we forget the Lord our God and that all we have comes from You. We neglect to offer our thanksgiving and honor You for Your goodness.
Forgive us for our disobedience and our insatiable desire. Pardon us for complaining about everything and looking at things with a negative perspective, turning the cup filled with portion into water for cleaning dirty paint brushes.
Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Thank you for being incarnate word of God living among us, full of grace and truth. Help us to maintain the same attitude that Christ Jesus had and not to depend on mere flesh and blood for strength as we walk the journey of life, especially at these unprecedented times and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. Help us to accept that this is an unchangeable fact and a situation that cannot be avoided. Lord Jesus, You are the door and whoever comes in through you will be saved and nourished.
Lord, grant us confidence and ability to extend a helping hand to bring the lost sheep into our group. Also grant us a compassionate heart to care for people in disadvantaged communities. In this severe winter, let the churches ignite the blazing fire of love and provide warmth to these communities.
Holy Spirit enlighten our hearts that whatever the situation is we can face it with contentment and that we can know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. In any and all circumstances we have learned the secret of being content. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Holy Spirit, help us to be a person who is upright in heart, knowing that heaven and earth will pass away, but Your words will never pass away. Help us not place value on earthly things that will decay, not seek long life or more children, not miss the enjoyment that is temporal but being right with God that leads to spiritual satisfaction, and stay focus on God and serve Him wholeheartedly.
We pray in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen