A NECESSARY STARTER!
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, please come to me as You came to Bethlehem. I need a recognition of Your presence, I need the guidance of Your wisdom.
Read PSALM 127
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to[a] those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.
Footnotes
- Psalm 127:2 Or eat— / for while they sleep he provides for
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘… seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.’1
Think Further
I expect all of us have things happening in the year to come; maybe a move or home renovations, maybe a family wedding or big anniversary, maybe new schools or jobs or retirement to face. We all plan for these things in different ways. Some of us start by making lists and working out exactly what will happen at each stage, what we need to throw out or buy or make. Some of us are totally prepared many weeks before the event; others of us leave it to the last minute and rush around, knowing it will all get done in the end!
This psalm is one of many Bible passages that talk about planning and preparation. Another passage is where Jesus warns us that when we are about to start a building project, we should check first that we have enough money to pay for it!2 In today’s reading we are reminded of an essential starting point. Whether we are meticulous planners or plunge-straight-in people, we must recognize that anything that does not start off by acknowledging and allowing God’s involvement is ‘in vain’ (v 1), a waste of time. The house may get built, the book you are writing may get finished, the move might happen – but in the light of eternity, nothing of any real value has been done or achieved. We can put our whole heart into it, staying up all night if necessary – but this too is a waste of time, unless our whole hearts are focused on seeking His kingdom. Modern culture encourages us to see our faith as a kind of hobby, an optional extra that sits on the side of real life. We sometimes fall into the trap of seeing it that way too. How wrong can we be!
Apply
What aspects of your life could use more input from above?
Closing prayer
Father God, I need special grace to embrace the old adage, “Pray as if there is no such thing as work, work as if there is no such thing as prayer.” Then I know things will be accomplished for You.
1 Matt 6:33,34 2 Luke 14:28
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