Unless the LORD builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
Psalm 127:1-21
We are dependent on the Lord for all things. We know that we are limited and needy and can trust Him. But do we?
Are you sleeping well, trusting that God is sufficient in all you accomplished and all that you didn’t? Or are you eating the bread of anxious toil, constantly striving with no rest?
What a gift He gives to His beloved – sleep. But why does rest feel so unattainable in some seasons? It’s a matter of trust. When you trust God, you enjoy His rest. When you trust in yourself, your toil will be neverending.
It seems silly to imagine us trusting in ourselves when we have an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect, good, and loving Father who tells us repeatedly to trust Him. But that’s precisely what we do.
As I work hard in the ways God has called and equipped me this season, I am constantly reminded to trust Him with each detail. That’s not my natural posture. My bend is towards self-sufficiency in my work. I will work hard. I won’t allow myself to rest. I will think and overthink everything, including the things that aren’t mine to dwell on.
I begin to feel worried, tired, and overwhelmed when I start functioning under the framework of self-sufficiency. When I believe my actions are responsible for ultimate outcomes, I no longer trust God.
But, in a spiritually healthy place, I’m working hard and trusting God. I am spending my time wisely, using my gifts passionately, and expending my energy selflessly. I’m confident that God is in control and capable of accomplishing His will. This means that I’m trusting His sufficiency in my work. It also means that I’m trusting His sufficiency in all the things I haven’t gotten to, can’t give enough attention to, don’t do well, don’t understand, or have said no to.
Accepting the gift of sleep from our Father means that we trust His will to be done because of His power – not our own.
Friends, I want to pray that the truth of God’s character will captivate your heart and mind tonight so that you will trust Him fully and enjoy His rest.
God, you are great, and you are good. You are strong and capable – our Rock. You are kind and loving – our Father. You made us with limitations so we would trust you, and we know those limitations. We feel them. And we work hard to overcome them. To be self-sufficient. To be in control. To be independent. We turn from you to trust in ourselves. Over and over and over. Thank you, Father, for pursuing us. Thank you for providing a way back to you that we could have never accomplished alone. Thank you for continually loving us despite our forgetfulness and disobedience. Lord, help us to work hard and trust you simultaneously. Don’t allow our efforts to distract us from your power and presence. Create in us a heart that seeks to see you at work, rest in you even when work is unfinished, and trust you with outcomes. May you be magnified in our hearts and minds and glorified in all we do. Amen.
Brittany K. Miller 