Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.

Bible Reading

So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.  And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.  What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?  All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?  To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

– Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

Devotion

No amount of human effort, accomplishment, wisdom, or folly produces ultimate satisfaction in this life. Pursuing happiness, fulfillment, or meaning only in this life, with no thought of eternity, produces frustration and even despair. It leads to a sense of emptiness and a realization that there is something important missing. True meaning in life comes only through our reverent relationship with God.

The Big Question

Have you experienced ultimate satisfaction and meaning in life, or do you feel like something important is missing? Where can you find purpose and direction for your life? If you have found these things, how would you describe the reason to others?

Conclude your time in prayer and silence reflecting on what you have learned.