VANITY OF VANITIES

Ecclesiastes Chapter 7

“A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.” (Verse 1)

Almighty Jehovah God in Heaven, please give me the greatest and most wonderful name given to human creatures in this life under the sun. Please make me into a son of God, through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Please help me to live in obedience to my Creator God, in order to have a good name among men. Save me from the vanity of loving this present world and the things of the world. Reveal to me by Thy Holy Spirit, the wonderful and glorious things that await the Christian believer on the day of his or her death, when they depart this life of vanity under the sun and enter into the Very Presence of Almighty God in Heaven to there forever behold Thy Great Glory and to live in perfection. Help me to truly believe, that for the Christian believer, it is better to be absent from the body and to thus be present with the Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven. I pray these things for all other people also.

“It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.” (Verse 2)

Lord God in Heaven, have mercy on me and please save me from the selfish, sinful and great vanity of living to eat, drink, and be merry during this life under the sun. Please teach me to fast in accordance to Thy Will. Please create within me a most compassionate heart, like that of The Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath compassion on all the human race. Make me spiritually alive by Thy Holy Spirit, causing me to look upon all the suffering mankind around me under the sun, and causing me to truly care for humanity’s well being. Please motivate me to do all I can to help anyone who needs my help, and cause me to endeavor to point every lost soul to the One, True, Living God Who is the Ultimate Source of True Help for all suffering mankind. Reveal to me the great eternal reward in store for me if I live my life for the eternal betterment of others, and cause me to seriously lay that to heart, and to act in accordance to Thy Will for me regarding these matters. Lord God, lead me to the house of mourning, I earnestly pray. Please reveal clearly to me, the great benefits and blessings of being in the house of mourning. I pray these things for all other people under the sun also.

“Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.” (Verse 3)

Lord Jesus, please reveal clearly to me, the great spiritual benefit it will be to me, for me to truly be sorrowful, with Godly sorrow, over suffering mankind instead of living for the vanity of laughing from worldly merriment. Help me to truly desire that my heart be made better by the sadness of my countenance. Please teach me Godly sorrow, and what great spiritual benefits it brings to my being. Please instill Godly sorrow within my heart. I pray these things for all other people also.

“The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.” (Verse 4)

Almighty Lord God, please have mercy upon me and save me from the vanity of being a fool. Please perfect Thy Divine Wisdom in me to make me truly wise. Convince me of the folly of the house of mirth, and of the wisdom of the house of mourning over the suffering of mankind and over lost souls. I pray that Thou wouldest make me wise and that my heart will be in the house of mourning. Lord Jesus, please lead me to the house of mourning. Cause me to mourn over and to intercede much in prayer for all lost souls under the sun. Save me from the vanity of living in the house of mirth and thus being a fool. I pray these things for all other people also.

“It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.” (Verse 5)

Lord Jesus, please save me from the vanity of turning a deaf ear to the rebuke of the wise. Please give me ears to hear the rebuke of the wise and give me a heart to follow that wisdom. Save me from the vanity of loving to listen to and loving to sing the songs of fools. O Lord God in Heaven, this sinful old world is full of songs of fools. Please save me from all of them. Please save me from all foolishness and folly. Help me to yield myself totally to my Creator God for the purpose of Thee making me into a truly wise person. Perfect me, Lord God Jehovah, I pray. I pray these things for all other people also.

“For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.” (Verse 6)

Almighty God, please save me from the vanity of laughing the laughter of the fool. Guide me to shun foolish people, not to partake of their foolish deeds, and to not become one of them. Save me from the vanity of laughing about foolish things. I pray these things for all other people also. Please save us all from all vanity.

“Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.” (Verse 7)

Lord Jesus, please deliver me from those who oppress me. Cause me to ever seek my help and my salvation from Thee, in all matters in which I need help of any kind. Please save me from the sinful vanity of oppressing other people. Please make me a true blessing, help, and encouragement to all other people. Teach me the meaning of “a gift destroyeth the heart.” Protect me from having my heart destroyed by gifts. Save me from the vanity of loving gifts, and desiring to receive gifts from other people. Save me from the vanity of giving gifts for the purpose of gaining favor from the receiver. Save me from a sinful vain heart that tends toward bribery in any form or manner. Please destroy all vain desires I have to give bribes or to receive bribes in any form. I pray these things for all other people under the sun also.

“Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” (Verse 8)

Almighty God, please give me Godly patience and endurance to bring to completion the tasks I begin. Enable me to run my race well under the sun. Help me to fight a good spiritual fight for Thy Glory, and to finish the course Thou hast ordained for my life under the sun. Please enable me to endure to the end. Save me from the sinful vanity of being proud in spirit. Please make me patient in spirit. I pray these things for all other people on earth also.

“Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.” (Verse 9)

Lord God Almighty, please save me from the vanity of being a fool. Save me from all foolish and sinful anger. Help me to totally yield my being to Thee, my Creator God, for the purpose of Thy Holy Spirit controlling all my emotions at all times. Please save me from the vanity of being hasty in my spirit to be angry. Please remove anger from my bosom and guard me against harboring anger. I pray these things for all other people also.

“Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.” (Verse 10)

Almighty Lord Jesus, please save me from the vanity of living in the past, as the past is gone and I cannot return to it. Please save me from the vain tendency to always think that the past days were better than the present time. Please help me to live today, and each future day Thou graciously giveth unto me, to the utmost for Thee, my Creator God. Please fill me with God’s Heavenly Wisdom and thus enable me to enquire wisely concerning all matters of life, death, and eternity. I pray these things for all other people also.

“Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.” (Verse 11)

Lord God in Heaven, please clearly reveal to me just how good, profitable, and beneficial God’s Wisdom is. Please cause me to earnestly desire God’s Wisdom. Show me what a great inheritance comes with Thy Wisdom, an inheritance that I will have eternally to enjoy its great riches, profit, and glory forever, if only I will now fully trust in The Lord Jesus Christ and diligently seek God’s Wisdom for the rest of my days under the sun. Please help me to do just that. Work in my heart to make me most desirable to receive all of Thy Wisdom that Thou hast ordained that I know in this life under the sun. Save me from the vanity of living foolishly and shunning God’s Wisdom. I pray these things for all other people also.

“For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.” (Verse 12)

Almighty God, please defend me with Thy Wisdom. Please convince me that life benefits derived from money are far inferior to the benefits of wisdom. Please help me to make wisdom my defense. Save me from the sinful vanity of loving money, while teaching me how to properly in Thy Sight make money a defense during my life under the sun. Teach me how that Godly wisdom giveth life to them that have it. I desire a most blessed life that never ends. Almighty Jehovah God, please guide me into that life. Lord Jesus Christ, I want to live forever. Please save me with Thy Eternal Salvation and keep me from ever perishing. Please fill me with the Excellency of God’s Pure Knowledge and Wisdom, and please give me eternal life, which is in The Lord Jesus Christ. I pray these things for all other people also.

“Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?” (Verse 13)

Lord God on High, please cause me to seriously consider Thy work, all Thy Creation and Works in the entire universe. Help me to never doubt that Thou hast created all things that are made. Save me from the vanity of trying to alter and change the things that are done by Thy Almighty Hand. Save me from the vanity of trying to make straight that which Thou hast made crooked. I pray this for all other people also.

“In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.” (Verse 14)

Lord Jesus, cause me to constantly be most thankful to Thee for all the prosperity that comes my way, acknowledging that it comes from God on High. When I joy over prosperity, may it done as unto my Lord God with humble thanksgiving, being keenly aware that I am not the least bit worthy of the prosperity and abundant blessings Thou doest graciously shower upon me daily. Save me from the sinful vanity of not being thankful. In the day of adversity, cause me to think on my ever-present need to be humbled by God in Heaven, and how that adversity humbles me. Convince me that Thou art a Gracious God that sends adversity my way for my benefit and not for my destruction. Please teach me of all the many Spiritual benefits and blessings I derive from the adversities that come my way. I pray these things for all other people also.

“All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.” (Verse 15)

Almighty God, please give me perfect Spiritual vision and cause me to exercise and use that Spiritual vision in accordance to Thy Divine Will for me to behold all things Thou wouldest have me to behold under the sun, and to clearly discern their true nature. Please save me from the vanity of looking only upon the things that can be seen with my physical eyes. Please convince me of the unchangeable, inherent good that is in righteousness and convince me of the inherent bad and sin that is in wickedness. Convince me that absolutely no good comes from wickedness. Tho the just man’s life under the sun be short and even tho it be full of trouble, when that short life under the sun ends he then goes into eternal bliss in God’s Wonderful Heaven. Please make me perfectly just in the Lord Jesus Christ. Tho the wicked man’s life under the sun be long, he then goes into eternal damnation and punishment for his wickedness. Thus all is loss for the wicked person. Please save me from the fatal vanity of being wicked. Please give me clear, spiritual vision to behold these eternal, unshakable truths, and thus to not be shaken by apparent injustices I behold in this life under the sun. And thus, come what may, help me to always fully trust in and cleave to my Creator God with all my feeble might. I pray these things for all other people on earth also.

“Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?” (Verse 16)

Lord God in Heaven, please perfect Thy Righteousness and Thy Wisdom within my being in accordance to Thy Divine Will for my life under the sun. Please save me from the vanity of destroying myself by striving in my own power only, to gain righteousness and wisdom. Saving me from the vanity of seeking much righteousness and wisdom only for the purpose of puffing up my vain pride. I pray these things for all other people also.

“Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?” (Verse 17)

Lord Jesus Christ, I confess that Thou art the Saviour of the world. Right now, please have great mercy on me and save and protect me from the destructive vanity of being wicked and being foolish; thus dying before my time. By the Almighty Power of God’s Holy Spirit, please eradicate all wickedness and foolishness from my being. I pray this for all other people also. Save us all from the fatal vanity destroying our own selves.

“It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.” (Verse 18)

Lord Jehovah God Almighty God on High, please guide and teach me to take hold of all that is good and to never withdraw my hand from the things that are good for me. Teach me the fear of the Lord God my Creator, and cause me to truly fear Thee all of my days under the sun. Reveal to me what great love, peace, joy, blessings, and victories come from achieving these things. Save me from the vanity of refusing to fear Almighty God on High. I pray these things for all other people also.

“Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.” (Verse 19)

Almighty God in Heaven, please save me from the fatal vanity of rejecting God’s Wisdom. Help me to fully open my heart to Thee, for the purpose of Thee filling me full of Thy Heavenly Wisdom. Please mold me into a truly wise person. Strengthen my entire being, body, soul, and spirit with Thy Holy and Pure Wisdom. Teach me how that it is much wiser to live in a rural area than in a city. I pray these things for all other souls now living under the sun.

“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Verse 20)

“Lord Jesus Christ, I acknowledge that Thou art God’s True Light, the Light of the world, the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. Please shine God’s True Light into my heart right now, to show me the true condition of my heart. Please clearly reveal to me how unjust a person I am. By God’s Divine Light, please reveal to me all the sin that is in my life. Show me that I have no ability within my own being to do good. Convince me of the reality that I have sinned against Thee, my Creator God, and also against my fellow man. Show me my need to truly repent to God, and to put my trust in Thee, the Saviour of the world, to save me from sin and from sin’s eternal punishment. Please have great mercy upon me to save me from the eternally fatal vanity of rejecting Christ as my Saviour. I pray these things for all other people also.

“Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:” (Verse 21)

Almighty God, please give me Divine Discretion as to when I should turn a deaf ear to people’s talk. Save me from the awful, torturous vanity of vexing my soul over every thing people say about me. Help me to love those who oppose me, to love my adversaries, to love my enemies, and to sincerely pray for God to always bless them all. Save me from the selfish and proud vanity of desiring people to always speak well of me. I pray that all other people will do these things also.

“For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.” (Verse 22)

Lord God Almighty, please have mercy on me and save me from the vanity of the sin of hypocrisy. Please make me prone to always first of all look upon my own faults and sins for the purpose of seeking Thy forgiveness for them and Thy salvation from them. Save me from the vanity of desiring to be an accuser and a judge of other people, and especially not being mindful that I do the same things I object to them doing. Save me from the awful vanity of thinking myself to be above and greater than other people. Please help me to be perfect, as Our Father in Heaven is Perfect. I pray that all other souls under the sun will also do right in these important matters.

“All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.” (Verse 23)

Lord Jesus, please save me from the vanity of striving to be wise in my own power only. Convince me that such is far from me and impossible to achieve, because I do not have that power and wisdom within my own self. Please convince all other living souls of this also. Please help us all to seek our Creator God with all our might and to trust in Almighty Jehovah God to make us truly wise. Help us all to diligently seek God’s Pure and Holy Wisdom which cometh from above.

“That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?” (Verse 24)

Almighty God on High, please save me from the vanity of seeking to find out things that Thou hast not ordained that I learn in this life under the sun. Things that are far off, and exceeding deep, naturally stir up my natural, fleshy, and fallen vain curious nature, making me nosey and desirous to probe into them. So please save me from the vanity and vexation that results from being desirous to probe into realms that Thou, in Thy Infinite Wisdom, hast deemed to be off limits for me during my life under the sun. Lord God on High, please keep me in my proper place for all of my few days on this earth. I pray these things for all other people also.

“I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:” (Verse 25)

Lord God Almighty, teach me and guide me to properly and most perfectly apply my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out true wisdom, and the true reason of things, and to learn, come to know, and to be fully aware of the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness. Please save me from the vanity of all wickedness, folly, foolishness, and madness. I pray these things for all other people also.

“And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.” (Verse 26)

Almighty Lord Jehovah God, please bring to repentance and faith in Thee, all the women whose hearts are snares and nets and whose hands are as bands. Cause men to please God by escaping from such women. Please save sinners from their sins and save them from being taken by such women.

“Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:” (Verse 27)

Lord Jesus, please stir up my heart to diligently search out and to find all the divine wisdom and knowledge that Thou hast ordained that I attain in this life under the sun. Save me from the vanity of failing to learn all the things Thou hast ordained that I learn during my short life on this earth. Help me to daily count my many blessings one by one, and to constantly give thanks to God on High for blessing me so abundantly. I pray these things for all other people also.

“Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.” (Verse 28)

Lord God in Heaven, please clearly guide me to seek that which is perfect and upright. Cause my soul to seek and to learn all the things that Thou hast ordained that I come to a knowledge of during my life under the sun. Save me from the vanity of spiritual ignorance. I pray these things for all other men and all other women now under the sun.

“Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” (Verse 29)

Lord Jesus Christ, help me to completely yield myself to Thee, and to give my entire being unto Thee, My Creator God, for the purpose of Thee making me into a new creature, one that is upright in Thy Divine Sight. I pray that all other people will do this also. Please make me perfectly upright. Save me from the vanity of seeking out many inventions. Save me from the vanity of loving and glorying in the many inventions man has invented to enhance his status, power, rule, riches, comfort, and pleasure under the sun. Save me from the vain curiosity of wanting to meddle in everything, and wanting to know everything I can possibly know about everything under the sun. I pray these things for all other people also. Lord God in Heaven, please have great mercy on us and save us all from all vanity. Lord God on High, I humbly thank and praise Thee, for hearing and answering these prayers of mine. Amen.

(This is the end of Chapter 7 of VANITY OF VANITIES)

Chapter 8

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