Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters: Trusting God With What You Can’t Control (Ecclesiastes 11)

In this episode of the Sermon Notes Podcast, Jay Strother and Brian Ball continue their walk through Ecclesiastes in the series Chasing the Wind: Finding What Lasts in a World That Doesn’t. They land on Ecclesiastes 11, and the well-known phrase cast your bread upon the waters, tracing it from a simple picture of ancient trade to a much bigger truth: God calls us to take active steps of faith, even when we have no idea what the outcome will be.

Jay and Brian talk through what that looks like in real life, whether it’s investing time in a young person, giving generously, saying yes to foster care and adoption, or stepping into a hard calling. Using Solomon’s picture of a farmer who has to plant seed without knowing exactly when the rain will fall, they remind us that we’re not in as much control as we’d like to believe, and that our job is faithfulness, not results. We’re not responsible for the outcome. We’re responsible for obedience.

The conversation closes with a practical, Scripture-grounded framework for making wise decisions: starting with God’s Word and the gospel, listening for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, seeking godly community, and paying attention to how God moves in circumstances. It’s an honest, encouraging conversation for anyone standing at a crossroads and wondering whether it’s time to put the goods on the boat and let them sail.