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)
( 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:
kenbarnes737@gmail.com
website: https://sites.google.com/site/kenbarnesbooksite/
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