Ecclesiastes 4

0:00What happens when faith and mental health meet for real? What's up? I'm Grace Graber. Welcome to Breaking Through with Grace Graber, a podcast for honest conversations about anxiety, trauma, healing, hope, and the God who never backs away when life gets heavy. We are going to talk about everything mental health. No pretending, no perfect answers, just real stories, real faith, and a reminder that you're not alone. Get ready. You're going to be absolutely obsessed. Breaking through with Grace Graber, available now, wherever you get your podcasts. Life Audio For more resources to help you in your walk with Christ, please visit us at BibleStudyHeadquarters.com. Hey listeners, it's Kelly from Life Audio. We know life gets busy, and sometimes it's easy for your faith to get pushed to the side. That's why we created the Good Word, a free weekly newsletter designed to give you a moment to slow down, be encouraged, and reconnect with what matters most.

1:00God's Word. Inside you'll find devotionals, guided prayers, podcast recommendations, and other faith-built content we think you'll love. No ads, no clutter. Just good content to help you stay rooted in God's Word throughout your week. Sign up for the Good Word today at lifeaudio.com-forward-slash-the-good-word. That's lifeaudio.com-forward-slash-the-good-word. You're listening to the chapter a day, audio Bible. I'm John Stongy, and today we're in Ecclesiastes, chapter 4, and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. I looked again and saw people being mistreated everywhere on Earth. They were crying, but no one was there to offer comfort, and those who mistreated them were powerful. I said to myself, the dead are better off than the living, but those who have never been born are better off than anyone else

2:04because they have never seen the terrible things that happen on this Earth. Then I realized that we work and do wonderful things just because we are jealous of others. This makes no more sense than chasing the wind. Fools will fold their hands and starve to death, yet a very little food eaten in peace is better than twice as much earned from overwork and chasing the wind. Once again, I saw that nothing on Earth makes sense. For example, some people don't have friends or family, but they are never satisfied with what they own, and they never stop working to get more. They should ask themselves, why am I always working to have more? Who will get what I leave behind? What a senseless and miserable life. You are better off to have a friend than to be all alone, because then you will get more enjoyment out of what you earn.

3:07If you fall, your friend can help you up, but if you fall without having a friend nearby, you are really in trouble. If you sleep alone, you won't have anyone to keep you warm on a cold night. Someone might be able to beat up one of you, but not both of you. As the saying goes, a rope made from three strands of cord is hard to break. You may be poor and young, but if you are wise, you are better off than a foolish old king who won't listen to advice. Even if you are not born into the royal family and have been a prisoner and poor, you can still be king. I once saw everyone in the world follow a young leader who came to power after the king was gone. His followers could not even be counted, but years from now, no one will praise him. This makes no more sense than chasing the wind. Let's pray.

4:11Lord, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for the privilege of being able to look at this portion of Scripture today. We thank You for the wisdom that we have through faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and we thank You for the practical things that we could observe from what's being spoken of in a passage like this. Lord, so often, we give our lives to chasing things that have no lasting value, and yet You tell us in Your Word to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, but our minds become so consumed with treasures here on this earth. Lord, help us to be thinking beyond our day-to-day circumstances, help us to be looking forward to the future that we have in You, and help us Lord to be grateful for Your presence with us, and Your love that You've displayed to us in Your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we're grateful for all of these things. We thank You for Your love, and we commit this day to Your care and pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen. Are you seeking a deeper connection with God, but just can't seem to find time to make prayer a

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