Ecclesiastes 2:11 - Surrender & Release
Step 1: Pray. Select.
As I sat down to pray this morning outside in the warmth of the sun, I began to contemplate what the Bible says about the race we are running in life. I thought to myself, when does it end, and the fragility of walking the line between seeking a worldly, rich life and an eternally rewarding one. Surely our Father wants us to have life and life more abundantly, as it eloquently states in the Bible. But how do we stay focused on the right side, keeping our sight on what is truly important to the Lord?
As I search the scriptures for these themes, I came across Solomon’s account of laboring in vain, in the reading of Ecclesiastes 2. In particular, Ecclesiastes 2:11 stood out. This is where I began my journey today, friends, so I proceeded to Step 2.
Step 2: Write. Read. Circle
After reading the scripture three times, the following words stood out amongst the others:
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.
Step 3: Re-Write
With a focus on the words I circled that stood out, here are the personalized sentence(s) that came alive in my heart.
Jennifer, all the works my hands had done all was in vanity, grasping for the wind under the sun.
If you are doing this alongside me today, add your name in front of your unique sentence so the Lord can speak directly to you.
Step 4: Visualize
As I close my eyes to envision the sentence given to me today from the scriptures, I imagine myself as a farmer. I'm standing amongst a vast field, tilled and waiting for seed to be sown into the soil.
In my hands, I have grabbed a fistful of seeds. I'm trying to decipher which seeds will make it to the harvest and which will be too weak to sprout. I take my hat off and wipe my forehead and brow line, as my eyes are burning from the sunscreen running down my face, mixed with the sweat from laboring. For some reason, I start to get emotional looking at the seeds. It's triggering me to think about my past, and how many seeds I've planted along the way, and how so many of them have produced little to no harvest. Some of my seeds just died, no matter how hopeful I remained.
I pull myself together and put my hat back on, since I feel the sun scorching my head. I take one last look at the bunch of seeds in my hand before distributing them, and right as I am about to toss them into the ground, I decide to try something different.
I'm going to change my perspective and look at the act of planting as a releasing process. Instead of focusing on thoughts like 'did I dig a deep enough hole?' or 'is the soil just perfect?' or 'you have failed in the past, so make sure you learned from your mistakes,' and the list goes on. This time, I'm going to trust that the Lord knows what's inside each seed, and as He has always done in the past, ultimately He will determine what to keep, what will be fostered under the sun, and what the wind will blow away. He will decide what should and should not bring forth fruit in the land. I will plant from a surrendering posture.
What the Holy Spirit is telling me is, “You did not fail in your past. You planted, prepped, and distributed the best you knew how. What you did not have control of was the elemental environment, which the Lord needed to determine what would be worth producing fruit within, and what should be taken away or removed.” The Holy Spirit continues, “You're thinking of marriages, people, jobs, etc. What the Lord wants you to focus on is that these seeds are planting a garden within, what you are made of.”
He wants to carry away the seeds made of what I think the world needs from me. The ones I pick out from the exterior, that I think, look, and feel like they will produce fruit of belonging in this world. He wants to preserve the elements that will produce his fruit through me, leaving a legacy behind, which will be needed after my time on Earth.
At the end of the day, only he knows what is truly inside each tiny seed within my hand, regardless of what the outside looks like in its current state. He wants me to focus on releasing the seeds to him so he can have me firmly sprout up in the eternal world. He is not interested in growing me to fit better here. He wants me to root myself in him to sprout up and blossom in Heaven.
I have a question for the Holy Spirit, so I proceed to Step 5.
Step 5: Ask. Seek
The requests/questions that came to mind are:
Holy Spirit, is it wrong to have desires while I'm here on Earth?
Step 6: Hear. Write. Receive
Here is the answer I received:
”You are human. He made you with the desires of your heart. If desire wasn't also part of your journey, then you would have no desire to work hard and strive for a good life, to set an example for your children and those who come after you for generations. We were created to steward the Earth and all its creatures. By doing well, you have the opportunity and influence to do right by the world while glorifying your Father's nature and name. You must always remind others where the blessing came from. If you understand this principle, you will continue to sprout up, spreading the gospel of Jesus. The problem arises when you exalt things, including the Earth, over the One who created these things. As long as you remain in order and know God is on the throne, he wants to give you the desires of your heart. The Earth and the things in it are small and simple compared to his majesty. But you must be careful of the heart’s deceitful nature at times, when its desires exalt themselves against the Lord. When the flesh takes over, this is where Solomon’s wisdom on vanity comes into play. Do not focus on the rewards of your work, but rather on the joy that comes from working. Glorify your Father so others know of his loving and kind nature. He wants you to live life and live more abundantly. Just make sure that when you have the mantle, you let those around you know who granted you the authority to carry it, which ultimately came through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Through His mercy and grace, we are free to live life more abundantly. ”
Step 7: Pray. Confirm
Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus.
I thank you so much for spending time with me today, focusing on releasing my seeds into good ground, and for allowing only the things worthy of your nature to sprout up.
Please help me to keep you always on the throne, glorifying your name for all that you have created on Earth and within me, while living a more abundant life.
I will move forward, encouraged to be the best version of myself that you created, so I can have an influence on behalf of your Kingdom and generations to come.
In Jesus' mighty name, I pray and seal this prayer with the blood of Jesus - Amen.
Step 8: Share. Testify
If you used the 8-Step Prayer Practice today, we would love to hear how God works in your life! You can comment below or share your miracle or testimony HERE.
Conclusion:
Friends, trust God and his selection of what he lets get carried away with the wind, and what the sun will grow and nurture to sprout up to be closer to his presence within you.
Don’t worry about the seeds that have died in the past. Have hope in the seeds and the harvest that will sprout in the future.
Remember, as the Lord blesses you with a more abundant life, to always give thanks and glory to the one who gave that life to you.
God bless you. See you soon!
