Reading the Word

Ecclesiastes 11:1–6 (ESV)
1 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Understanding and Applying the Word

Analyze the above verses one by one and you will find two themes. The first is that there is no certainty in life. We do not know what the future holds. The second is that regardless of the uncertainty of tomorrow, we must act today. Inaction leads to certain failure while action leads to possible success.

Are you an optimist or a pessimist when you think about what the future holds? Do your fears and doubts paralyze you with inactivity? If so, you need the words from today’s reading. Instead of allowing your doubts and fears to hold you back from sowing your seed, go ahead and plant. Perhaps you will reap a wonderful reward. You cannot if you will not.

---

**If you enjoy reading Shaped by the Word, please consider sharing this post on social media. Doing so helps us reach a larger audience. Thanks for reading!

Follow Shaped by the Word on WordPress or Facebook.