Psalm 127 - part 1

As you enter a new year, have you thought about what are you worried about this coming year? Are you concerned for your family? Your community? Your nation? Your life? finances? security? Work? 

Take comfort as you read the following psalm;

127

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. 

*1* Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 

*2* It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 

If you are starting off the year worried, pause to consider, are you letting God build into your life? Or are you striving under your own power and inspiration? 

‘Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain’. It may be something good or positive that you are trying to build, but is God in it? Is He in command and are you doing the part He wants you to? If not, then you are basically wasting your time. Going round in stressful circles and not achieving much. God wants to be allowed to take the stress, the time frames, the projections, hopes and aspirations and show you what He can do. You don’t need to do it all or try to fix everything. For God knows what will succeed and what will fail, so surely it is a good idea to get His take on things. If you are fed up of your, ‘labour in vain’, then why not invite God into what you are trying to build and see what He can do with it all. As you begin this year, before you make those resolutions, why not take time to consider is it in vain, or is God helping and motivating you? 

It may not be work, finance or making something in life that you’re concerned about, what about safety and security? The same goes for those aspects of life too. God is the best watchman - He doesn’t fall asleep or get distracted. A watchman looks out and spots trouble coming, checking the security and safety of what they have responsibility for. God can be a watchman for you. It doesn’t mean that trouble is going to disappear, but you can rest assured that God is there watching and expecting. Therefore you can rest. You can relax and rest as eventhough you do not know what is going to happen, you can have the assurance that God does and He is ready and waiting. There is no point losing sleep over the things that you are worried about but can do nothing to change, instead ask God to watch over the things that concern you. Having sleepless nights and troubled thoughts is in vain - it doesn’t change anything other than the fact you will be tired and grumpy! How about this year, give yourself a break from stress and worry and hand things over to the faithful watchman who can guide, protect and look after each person that you care  about.

Oh, v2, I am sure many will be living this right now, ‘anxious toil’. Christmas is known as a time when many overspend, and January a time when people regret it. In the world at present it is also a time of financial uncertainty, increased bills, unknown income. A time when people look at their bank balance and wonder how on earth they are going to be at zero at the end of the month let alone have money leftover. Yet here in v2, we are clearly told not to worry and stress about it. We can work ourselves into ‘anxious toil’, trying to burn the candle at both ends just trying to make ends meet, puzzling over the bank balance or working hard to try and earn a bit more, the reality is even then we don’t always manage to make it work. What does working like that achieve? Anxiety, tiredness, stress, sickness; ‘anxious toil’. This verse tells us it is futile. Instead we can know rest and sleep even when we are concerned about work, bills etc.

How? By knowing that you are ‘his beloved’ and He wants to give you a break. If you are one of God’s children, then you are his beloved, and as someone dearly loved and cared for, you can trust that God has got it all in hand. He can give you rest from anxiety and toil when you really trust Him. Know who you are to Him, then that will give you peace and comfort. Your situation may not change, but when you trust God to love you, then you will find rest. Not just sleep, but the rest you need from the stresses and strains of life too. 

These first 2 verses show that there is nothing too big for God. He can handle your dreams, your prospects, your household, family, work life, finances, safety and protection. God can take care of all of it. Are you trusting Him to?