The Ordinary Godly Life
Opening Prayer
Lord, whatever house I attempt to build, please hold the hammer for me.
Read PSALM 127
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 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.
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
Can you say with the psalmist, “I have God’s more-than-enough… At day’s end I’m ready for sound sleep, For you, God, have put my life back together”? (Psa. 4:7,8, The Message).
Think Further
When our sons, their wives, and all the grandchildren get together these days, there is much discussion of parenting and growth spurts and especially regulating social media—a major issue for this generation. I can imagine as the Hebrew families made their way up to Jerusalem for the annual pilgrimage, before they were exiled from their beloved city, there were similar discussions about the issues of the day. And much wisdom was probably shared. This is celebrated in this “song of going up”—a psalm of neither praise nor complaint but one of practical perspectives on life. Its complexion is not dissimilar to that of Proverbs—and linked to that book by the mention of Solomon.
The underlying theme is dependence on God for the ordinary yet necessary things of life—an attitude of gratitude for God’s gifts and protection. Children (3) come into this category. It is natural for a family to expand, giving it standing in the community and a heritage for the future, but extraordinary when we consider children as gifts from the Lord of life.
So how is sleep (2) relevant? Though there may be several reasons why a person finds it hard to get to sleep, sleep may have spiritual overtones. Nocturnal surrender to the God who controls all things signifies surrender to him. At the simplest level, falling asleep could betoken a sense of trust, like that of Jesus asleep in the storm-tossed boat on the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 8:23–27), but in our packed lives, ensuring that we and our children get sufficient sleep indicates common sense, as we respect our bodies so that they function as the Creator intends. Then, says the psalmist, we will not toil in vain.
Apply
As you lie down tonight, thank God that he is going on working while you receive his restoring gift of sleep.
Closing prayer
Lord, please oversee the development of all of our children as we carry out our part in the process.
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