121 Days of Prayer

Nothing that I Had Worked for and Earned Meant a Thing to Me

The purposes of this prayer are: Guidance/Purpose and Wisdom.

Gracious Lord, the preacher of the book of Ecclesiastes suffered from a crisis of purpose for his life. Being rich and powerful, he had the luxury of being able to try different lifestyles to find out what might be best for him, yet he was still filled with despair: “Nothing that I had worked for and earned meant a thing to me, but I knew that I would have to leave it to my successor, and he might be wise, or he might be foolish- who knows? Yet he will own everything I have worked for, everything my wisdom has earned for me in this world. It is all useless. So I came to regret that I had worked so hard. You work for something with all your wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then you have to leave it all to someone who hasn’t had to work for it. It is useless, and it isn’t right! You work and worry your way through life, and what do you have to show for it? As long as you live, everything you do brings nothing but worry and heartache. Even at night your mind can’t rest. It is all useless.” Ecclesiastes 2:18–23 (TEV). Loving Lord, the preacher did eventually find his faith in you, after much mental flailing about and spiritual anguish. We also, Lord, have often had to acquire our wisdom and faith the hard way, by trying lifestyles and career paths that proved to be dead ends, before finally realizing that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and the only way to you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.