by Dee Tackitt
Most mornings, I grind wheat berries and begin making homemade bread. It is a long process. The grain has been planted, grown, harvested, ground, mixed, and kneaded—long before it ever reaches my kitchen table. And even then, I still have to trust the process. I place the dough aside, not rushing it, not forcing it… just waiting.
There is a letting go in breadmaking.
You do your part—and then you trust what you cannot see.
Ecclesiastes 11 speaks to that same kind of faith.
Ecclesiastes 11:1-6
Ship your grain across the sea;
after many days you may receive a return.
2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;
you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.
3 If clouds are full of water,
they pour rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant.
Whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed[a] in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and at evening let your hands not be idle,
for you do not know which will succeed,
whether this or that,
or whether both will do equally well.
🌊 Cast Your Bread (vs. 1)
“Cast your bread upon the waters…”
At first, it sounds like a loss. Like letting go of something valuable without a guarantee of return.
But this is not waste—it is trust.
The bread we cast is the Word of God.
The waters are the movement of the Holy Spirit.
And here is the quiet promise:
When the Word is released into the current of the Spirit, God carries it where it needs to go.
You may not see the result today.
You may not even recognize it when it returns.
But it will not be wasted.
🌱 Don’t Hold Back (vs. 2)
“Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight…”
Live open-handed.
Love more than feels safe.
Serve in more places than feel comfortable.
Speak truth even when you don’t know how it will be received.
Seven reminds us of God’s perfect work.
Eight reminds us of resurrection—new life where none seemed possible.
When we sow into the gospel—Jesus Christ and Him crucified—we are sowing into eternal life.
And you don’t know which seed will take root…
or if God will cause many to flourish at once.
🌧️ Trust Where It Lands (vs. 3)
“If clouds are full of water, they pour rain…
If a tree falls… there it will lie.”
Some outcomes are simply not yours to control.
Life does not always unfold neatly.
Ministry does not always land where you hoped.
People do not always respond the way you prayed they would.
And yet—God is not hindered by where things fall.
Wherever the seed lands,
wherever the rain pours,
God is still able to bring life.
🌬️ Don’t Wait for Perfect Conditions (vs. 4)
“Whoever watches the wind will not plant…”
If we wait until everything feels certain, we will never begin.
There will always be:
- One more reason to hesitate
- one more unknown
- one more “what if”
But faith does not wait for perfect weather.
Faith plants anyway.
Faith sows anyway.
Faith trusts anyway.
👶 Rest in the Mystery (vs. 5)
“As you do not know… how the body is formed in a mother’s womb…”
There are sacred things only God understands.
A baby growing in secret.
The movement of the wind.
The quiet work of God beneath the surface of your obedience.
You may not see it forming.
You may not feel progress.
But something holy is happening.
God is working—deep, unseen, and sure.
🌅 Keep Sowing (vs. 6)
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle…”
This is steady faith.
Not rushed.
Not anxious.
Just faithful.
Morning—sow.
Evening—sow again.
Pray.
Encourage.
Speak truth.
Show up.
Because you do not know which effort will bear fruit…
“…or whether both will do equally well.”
And sometimes—
in the kindness of God—
Both do.
A Prayer for the Path
Heavenly Father,
We come to You with open hands.
So much of what we do feels like casting—releasing what we love into places we cannot control.
Teach us to trust You in the letting go.
When we sow Your Word, remind us that it is never wasted.
When we feel uncertain, steady our hearts in Your promises.
When we are tempted to wait for perfect conditions, give us courage to act in faith.
Lord, we confess—we like to understand everything.
But You are the Maker of all things, and Your ways are higher than ours.
So help us rest in the mystery of Your work.
As a child is formed in the womb, unseen but full of life,
let Your purposes grow in ways we cannot yet see.
Give us diligence to sow in the morning and in the evening.
Keep our hands from becoming idle and our hearts from growing weary.
And when the harvest comes—whether soon or after many days—
remind us that every good thing has come from You.
We trust You with the seed.
We trust You with the outcome.
We trust You with the waiting.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Resources:
Beetham, Christopher A., and Nancy L. Erickson, eds. The NIV Application Commentary on the Bible. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2024.
Everett, Gary H. The Book of Ecclesiastes. Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures. 2011.
Hale, Thomas. The Applied Old Testament Commentary. Colorado Springs, CO; Ontario, Canada; East Sussex, England: David C. Cook, 2007.
Scripture for Further Reflection
- Proverbs 11:24–25 – The principle of generous sowing and return
- Isaiah 55:10–11 – God’s Word accomplishing His purpose
- Hosea 10:12 – Sowing righteousness and reaping steadfast love
- Matthew 13:3–9, 18–23 – The parable of the sower
- Luke 16:10 – Faithfulness in small things
- 1 Corinthians 3:6–7 – God gives the increase
- 2 Corinthians 9:6–8 – Sowing generously
- Galatians 6:7–9 – Reaping in due season
- James 1:5 – Trusting God’s wisdom
- Hebrews 11:1 – Faith in what we do not see
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