Vain Labor

Vain Labor

Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain.

Psalm 127:1

IN WORD We bear unnecessary burdens. We worry about finances, relationships, work, health, and just about anything we can think to worry about. We can be anxious about the future, regretful about the past, and oblivious to the present. There is almost no limit to the stresses the human mind can cultivate.

Meanwhile, there is Someone with us, in us, and for us who is a blesser by nature, who in the very center of His being is compassionate and loving. Not only that, He holds all resources in His hand. According to the emphatic witness of Scripture and all who know Him, He is fully willing and fully able to do anything and everything on our behalf.

Why, then, do we insist on building our own houses? Why do we develop our own projects, rely on our own protection, and arrange for our own providence? What do we find lacking in the almighty God of love that convinces us that we must bear our own burdens and fulfill our own plans? Do we enjoy the weight of burdens? Or is it simply that we have lost sight of the God who guards, gives, and builds?

IN DEED This psalm calls our thinking “vanity.” It tells us that only God’s projects are worth investing in, and only His projects will be blessed. It tells us that all of our anxious stress—our manic early rising and late-night work—is pointless under the watch of the God who grants sleep to those He loves (v. 2). It tells us that our families are places of refuge and blessing, not burdens we must bear.

Dispense with vain thinking. Labor in the things God has ordained and called you to, and not in the things you’ve devised yourself. He doesn’t stretch His people too thin and lay heavy burdens on their shoulders. If you’re experiencing overwhelming burdens, they are probably man-made. Protection, provision, and all prospects for your future are in His hand. And His hand is always open.

Hard work is a thrill and a joy when you are in the will of God.

—ROBERT A. COOK