Unless The Lord Builds The House

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain.
( Psalms 127: 2a NASB)
     Recently I had a day on my job that was an exercise in futility.  I executed a change in my work schedule that I thought would be productive. I worked longer and harder than usual but accomplished even less than I did on most days.  When God is not working with us we actually labor in vain.
     The next morning part of my daily reading was psalm 127. God is always right on time.   As I read this passage I realized why my efforts the previous day were so futile.  I was trying to build the house, so to speak, without His help.  Sometimes there’s a very fine line between diligence and striving.  Of course God wants his people to be diligent. But God exhorts us to not strive. Cease striving and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10 NASB).  So the pertinent point is how do we distinguish between hard work and nervous effort?   It’s simply the one accompanied by peace.  That day God tried to give me a sign, restlessness in my spirit. Peace has been referred to as the barometer of the soul.  It’s the indicator of how well our efforts are aligning with God’s will.  It is not the absence of struggle but the presence of calm or tranquilly in our daily battles. Our Heavenly Father is concerned about his children’s daily life and peace is the compass that guides us.
        The pivotal question in this process is whether we believe that God wants to take care of us in the mundane aspects of our lives.  The Bible says,  “Faith without works is dead.”  But some of us practice that as work without faith.  Maybe I should have taken a few moments alone with God and asked him why I was so restless that day? When we feel that compulsion to work longer and longer days, sometimes we should just shorten our workday and retire early.  This may be the most diligent, obedient, and productive thing to do; “For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep” (v. 2c).
        
Ken Barnes, the author of “The Chicken Farm and Other Sacred Places”  YWAM Publishing
Email:  [email protected]
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
             http://gleanings757.blogspot.com

        

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