A Minute of Hope from the PsalmsSample

Establish the Work of My Hands—Psalm 90:17

“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.” (Psalm 90:17)

In his book Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded his readers that “without the burden and labor of the day, prayer is not prayer, and without prayer, work is not work.”

Our times of prayer remind us that life is not simply about work, while our work reminds us that life is not simply about prayer.

To our great surprise, we see that God, who waits on high to have compassion on us, longs to be gracious to us.

When I walk the dog and give thanks for the vast blue sky and the bracing wind in my face, God is there.

When I am ironing the collar of a shirt and folding my son’s jeans still warm from the dryer, God is there.

By turning our attention purposefully toward God in the midst of our ordinary days, we demolish the wall between sacred and secular.

Our work becomes an offering to God as we meet him in the ordinary moments of life.

May the beauty of the Lord our God be upon you today!

Turn your calendar and your to-do list over to God and ask him to establish — to bless! — the work of your hands.