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)

Chapter 5

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