VANITY OF VANITIES
Ecclesiastes Chapter 4
“So I
returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and
behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on
the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.” (Verse 1)
Almighty
Lord Jehovah God in Heaven, please have mercy upon me and save me from the vanity
of living a selfish life for my own pleasure. Save me from the vanity of
desiring to rule and to reign over other people. Save me from my degenerate
nature that naturally wants to oppress others. Please teach me what a terrible
sin it is for me to oppress other people, and save me from that awful
sin of oppressing others. Please reveal to me all my tendencies to
oppress other people, no matter how light that oppression is. Show me how I naturally
tend to oppress people over whom I have any authority. Show me how that I tend
to oppress family members, especially the family members over whom I have
authority. Reveal to me how I tend to oppress anyone who is weak, and thus
powerless to resist my oppression. Reveal clearly to me how I just love to
obtain joy from “good-naturedly” picking on people and thus oppressing them in
ways displeasing to Almighty God. And please save me from that wickedness.
Please create within me a heart that truly loves other people as I love my own
self; a heart that is desirous to help and to uplift all other people
instead of a heart that naturally tends to oppress others and to put them down.
Lord Jesus, please make me upright.
Please
give me genuine love, concern, and compassion for all other
peoples under the sun and cause me to seriously consider all the oppressions
that are done under the sun, and to genuinely have compassion on all people who
are unduly oppressed. Help me to seriously behold their tears and sorrows, and
then to do all I can to help and comfort oppressed people. Please help
the oppressed to know that Thou art the God of All Comfort and will gladly
give them sufficient grace and comfort if only they will come to Thee
for it.
Lord
God, help me in my spirit to stand with Thee against all undue
oppression and undue oppressors under this sun. Guide me to fight against
oppression in accordance to Thy Will for me to do so. I now intercede in
prayer, in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ, for all oppressed peoples
under the sun, calling on Almighty God in Heaven to fight for them and to
deliver them from, and to avenge them of, their adversaries in accordance to
Thy Divine Will. By Thy Unlimited Power, please bring to naught all the
power of all the oppressors everywhere under the sun. Have great
mercy upon me to prevent me from ever oppressing people. I pray to Thee,
Lord God, for all oppressors to cease their oppressions.
“Wherefore
I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet
alive.” (Verse 2)
Lord
Jesus, teach me the full meaning of these precious words in Thy Holy Bible. “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21) Please
reveal to me what great eternal gain comes to all people who live
for Christ in this life under the sun. Please work powerfully in my
heart and life to change me and cause me to totally live for Christ
during this life under the sun. Save me from the destructive vanity of
living for self.
Please
teach me the full meaning of Paul’s confidence when he said, “We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the
body, and to be present with the Lord.” (II
Corinthians 5:8) Please help me to totally
trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus gain this confidence that when my soul
and spirit depart this physical body in death, that I will immediately be with
the Lord Jesus Christ in God’s Perfect Heaven. Please teach me and guide me to fully
prepare for the day of my death now while I am in this life on earth
under the sun.
Please
help me to fully obey Thy command in Colossians 3:2, “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.” Save me from the vanity of loving this present world and
the things of the world, and thus not being willing to depart this life and to
be present with the Lord in Heaven. I pray these things for all other
people also.
“Yea,
better is he than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen the
evil work that is done under the sun.” (Verse
3)
Lord
God in Heaven, please have mercy on me and save me from the vanity of
working evil during my life under the sun. I pray this for all other
people also. Please help me to firmly stand on my Creator God’s Side against all
evil done on this earth. I pray that all other people will also take
this righteous stand with Almighty God against evil. Lord God on High, please
fight for us with Thy Almighty Power against all the evil on this earth.
May holiness and righteousness rule and reign on this earth, and in the hearts
of each and every human soul now under the sun. Grant it, Lord Jehovah,
I pray.
“Again,
I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied
of his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Verse 4)
Almighty
God, please help me to fully yield my being to Thee for the purpose
of Thee creating within me a most compassionate heart. Cause me to truly
care about the travail of people around me, and by Thy Grace, may I endeavor to
do all I can to help anyone and everyone who needs my help in any
way. Teach me how to truly be a great benefit and help to all
suffering mankind. Please perfect all my works to make them right. Save
me from the vanity of envying other people. When I behold God blessing
other people, please cause me to sincerely rejoice over Thy Goodness to
others and to be thankful for it, just as I rejoice over all blessings I
receive. Please save me from all vanity and vexation of spirit. I
pray these things for all other people also.
“The
fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.” (Verse 5)
Lord
God in Heaven, please save me from the vanity of being a fool, and thus
save me from the eternal destruction that comes upon all fools. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Psalms 14:1) Lord God, please save me from
the vanity of ever saying such a foolish falsehood and lie in my heart.
Please reveal Thyself to me in such a definite way that will firmly
convince me of Thy Infinite Existence. Then please grant me the courage to
proclaim Thy Glorious Existence to everyone. I pray these things for all
other people also. Please save us all from the vanity of being a
fool and thus destroying our own selves (eating our own flesh).
“Better
is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and
vexation of spirit.” (Verse 6)
Heavenly
Father, please work in my heart to make me completely satisfied with
food and raiment. Please remind me to daily give Thee thanks for food, raiment,
and the many other abundant blessings You bestow upon me. I acknowledge that all
good things come from Jehovah God on High. Save me from the selfish motives of
desiring much of the things of this earth and of the things of this world.
Convince me that having both hands full will definitely bring on travail and
vexation of spirit. Please save me from that vanity. I pray these things
for all other people also.
“Then
I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.” (Verse 7)
Lord
God in Heaven, please give me clear spiritual vision to see and perceive
all the vanity in this life under the sun. Please have mercy on
me and save me from that vanity. Please save me from living for this
life on earth only. Please help me to obey Thy command in Colossians 3:2. “Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth.” Please spiritually equip me to teach others about, and to warn
others against the much vanity in this life under the sun. Also, please
create within me a most compassionate heart that truly cares
about the much suffering of mankind. And motivate me to spend all my
days under the sun, doing my utmost to alleviate that suffering and to point
people to The Lord Jesus Christ, Who is the True Help that all people
need. I pray that all other people will do these things also.
“There
is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor
brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied
with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of
good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.” (Verse 8)
Almighty
God, please teach me how that Thou didst ordain the human family upon creating
the first 2 people, Adam and Eve. I pray for all my family to trust in
the Lord Jesus Christ and to obey their Creator God. Save all my family
members from the vanity of disobeying the One True God. Please cause
each of my family members to love each other and to help each other in this
life under the sun, as Thou hast ordained we do. Guide all my family to
do the labour Thou hast ordained for each of us during this life under the sun.
Save all my family from setting their eyes on worldly riches. Help us to
do all our labours as unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Save my family from
the vanity and sore travail of bereaving our souls of good. Help
everyone in my family to seek the true good that comes from Jesus Christ. I
pray these things for all other families also.
“Two
are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.” (Verse 9)
Father in Heaven; please save me from the vanity of being selfish and of living for self only. Please guide me to always be eager to help any fellow man that is struggling alone with a heavy load of work. Please cause all of my family members to always live and work together in perfect harmony. May all of us always labour as unto the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to have a good reward for our labour.
“For if they fall, the one
will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he
hath not another to help him up.” (Verse 10)
Lord Jesus, please save me from the vanity of not caring for other human souls. Please help me to love my neighbor just as I love my own self and to always be eager to be my brother’s keeper, desirous to help any fellow man or woman any time they need help. Guide me to lift up those who fall. Please fill my heart with God’s Loving Compassion. Please instill in the hearts of all people under the sun a genuine desire to love, uplift, and to help one another.
“Again, if two lie together,
then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?” (Verse 11)
Lord Jesus, in accordance to Thy Will, please guide
me to give earthly comfort and aid to people around me when they are in need of
comfort and aid that I am able to give them. I pray that all other
people will do such also.
“And if one prevail against
him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Verse 12)
Almighty God in Heaven, please teach me the wisdom of the strength of numbers. In accordance to Thy Divine Will for my life, please guide me to join with other Christian believers for our common good and in order to stand united as the body of Christ for Thee and for Thy righteousness sake. Save me from the vanity of thinking I can do anything and everything alone under my own power. I pray these things for all other people under the sun also.
“Better is a poor and a wise
child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.” (Verse 13)
Lord Jesus, please save me from the vanity of despising poverty. Cause me to dearly love Thy Perfect example of “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.” (II Corinthians 8:9) Please work powerfully in my heart to make me fully willing to become poor for Thy Sake, and for the sake of many spiritually poor human souls, in order that they may become spiritually rich thru my physical poverty. Please make me into a wise child of our Heavenly Father. Cause me to read Thy Holy Bible much to gain the much Godly Wisdom in Thy Holy Scriptures. Save me from the vanity of being foolish. Save me from the vanity of refusing to be admonished by Almighty God in Heaven and also by other people. Break my stony and stubborn heart all to pieces, please, and make my heart anew and aright. I pray for all kings and all other people now ruling and reigning under the sun. Please save them all from being foolish and from ruling over others in foolish ways. I pray these things for all other people under the sun also. Please save us all from all vanity and from all foolishness.
“For out of prison he cometh
to reign; whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor.” (Verse 14)
Lord Jesus Christ, is this a reference to Thee, coming out of prison to reign? Please teach me clearly who is referred to here, coming out of prison to reign. Lord Jesus, with all my being I praise Thy Most High and Holy Name because that when Thou didst die on the cross to bring us to God (I Peter 3:18), then You went and preached unto the spirits in prison (I Peter 3:19). I praise Thy Name even more zealously that Thou camest out of prison to rule and reign forever over all Thy Creation as King of kings and Lord of lords. Please make me desirous to be born into Thy Eternal, Glorious Kingdom. Please help me to totally yield my being to Thee in order to be born into Thy Kingdom; born again by the power of Almighty God, “born of water and of the Spirit,” in order to enter the kingdom of God. Please make me totally willing and most desirous to forsake all earthly and worldly riches and thus become poor for Thy Sake and for the sake of suffering mankind. Please teach me every area and every aspect in which Thou hast ordained that those who are born into Thy Kingdom become poor. I pray these things for all other people also.
“I considered all the living
which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his
stead.” (Verse 15)
Almighty Lord God in Heaven, please cause me to
consider all the living which walk under the sun, and teach me exactly
what Thou wouldest have me consider concerning all the living who are
now under the sun. Please help me to constantly consider that all
human souls under the sun who are without The Lord Jesus Christ as their own
personal Saviour are lost and undone, and are headed for eternal fire in the
pits of Hell. Please help me to live for others instead of living a selfish
life to please myself only. Please guide me to do everything I can do for
suffering mankind under the sun. Please help me to seriously consider the much
suffering of people around me, and truly have pity and compassion on those
pitiful souls. Please teach me who is the second child that shall stand up in
his stead, and what is the significance of this Scripture to me personally. I
pray these things for all other people under the sun also.
“There is no end of all the
people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall
not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Verse 16)
Lord God, please convince me of the truth that all human souls exist forever. Convince me of the truth that all Christ-rejecters are turned into eternal Hell fire after this life under the sun ends. Please save me from the fatal vanity of rejecting Christ. Please change my heart to cause me to make The Lord Jesus Christ my first and foremost joy, always rejoicing in God the Son, Christ Jesus Who is All, and always endeavoring to live a life most pleasing to the Lord Jesus, My Creator God and my soon-coming Judge. Please save me from all vanity and all vexation of spirit. Please work powerfully in my life to make my short stay under the sun to be just exactly what Thou wouldest have it to be. I pray these things for all other people also.
Lord Jehovah God, please make me into a mighty prayer warrior. Teach me to pray in accordance to my Creator God’s Will. Please reveal to me the great importance of prayer and the mighty power of prayer when I pray to the True and Living Mighty God. Teach me how to storm Heaven with strong, God-honouring prayers that God on High will readily answer. Help me to become an intercessor and pray effectively for the good of other people, especially lost souls who need to trust in The Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. I humbly ask all these things in The High And Lofty Name of The Lord Jesus Christ, and I ask them for Jesus’ Precious Name’s Sake. Thank Thee, Heavenly Father, for being attentive to these prayers of mine, and for granting me mercy and grace regarding all these petitions of mine. Amen.
(This is the end of Chapter 4 of VANITY OF VANITIES)
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