Real Hope: PsalmsSample

Being Over Doing

The psalms are a source of wisdom and encouragement. Across the 150 chapters, there are words of comfort and joy to speak into almost any circumstance in life.

Of late, I’ve been having significant conversations around Psalm 127. It starts by saying, ‘Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.’ It goes on in vv3–5 to talk about the blessing of children. In the conversations that I’ve had, we’ve whittled Psalm 127’s wisdom down to two points. Who we are is more important than what we do, and family is important.

These days, it’s all too easy to lose ourselves in work. It can be a great escape. It’s where we have control, we (hopefully) know what we’re doing, and, after all, it pays us to sustain our lives and those we’re responsible for. So, it’s all too easy to throw a few extra hours, here and there, into the doing of our work. Verse two warns, ‘It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest… for He gives to His beloved sleep’ (ESV).

God can be found anywhere, in any occupation. The encouragement of these verses isn’t to stop working but rather to find what He is doing in our work. Don’t just ‘do’ mindlessly, but ‘be’ in the midst of our work. And more so, be listening for His still, small voice so that we might find the effortless rhythm of His grace in all we do, with work and family in their right position.

Is your work in the right place in your life? The promise? The blessing of rest. Sleep for you, His beloved.

Written by SUSIE HOLT