Prosperity Comes from the Lord.
A Song of Ascents, of Solomon.
127 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.
2 It is vain for you to rise up early,
To [a]retire late,
To eat the bread of [b]painful labors;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.3 Behold, children are a [c]gift of the Lord,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
5 How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;
They will not be ashamed
When they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Apparently God thought I needed a double-whammy this morning! I was reading an old blog post from back when we first decided to go “all in” on our software business. I had emphasized two things in that post. First, giving thanks to God for what He had done, far beyond my expectations. Second, that we were trusting Him for the future, as the results were in His (capable) hands. And then I read this psalm today…
I’ll admit it, lately I’ve been stressing out because revenue isn’t growing like I think it should. It makes me question, “Am I doing something wrong? Am I missing something? Am I on the wrong track somehow?” In the middle of this, I’ve been trying my hardest to trust God, to not fret about money that is or isn’t coming in. After all, we’re doing pretty well, God’s blessings are all around, even though there have been unexpected expenses, and things on which I’d rather not be spending money.
So we go back to the psalm. Unless God is in what you are doing, you’re beating your head against a wall. Stop for a minute, and look for His handiwork. If it isn’t there, then maybe you ARE going the wrong direction. But maybe you just haven’t been looking. You’ve had your head down, pushing forward, burning the candle at both ends.
Today, God is encouraging all of us, and especially me. Do your best, but working late into the night is unlikely to be that. If you’re wearing yourself out, not just that “good exhaustion” from good hard work, but not getting enough sleep, or food, or rest, etc. Then we need to heed God’s word, for He gives even in our sleep–which is another gift from God. Find balance, and peace, and rest, in Him.
Closing this out, I don’t want to neglect the second half, for it reminds us of our children, that they are a gift. And they are the ones likely to be neglected most when we push too hard, when we work too many hours. Take time for yourself, and leave plenty for your family. If you’re doing what God has called you to, then trust Him with the results. If not, you’re “laboring in vain”. Find what He has for you, and leave behind the slavery of your current situation.