Four Ways to Work
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. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.” (Psalm 127)
How do we think about the stuff that we do and the things that God does?
To be a human being is to work – to do things. Everyone works in some way. But we don’t always have the right perspective on our work and God’s work.
Psalm 127 focuses on work that has a lot of emotional attachment to it. It’s work connected to our identity and even a sense of belonging. We see human activity related to our security (House and City). We also noticed work related to our legacy with the reference to children.
The connection between home, city, and children is work. There’s effort on our part , but without God’s initiation, creation, design, and provision our work would never really happen.
In light of this connection between God’s work and ours, there are four ways we can approach work.
1. The Godless
This is the person who puts their efforts and activity at the center, and there’s no thought of God at all. They’re characterized by over-confidence, over-working, and significant tension. While success may characterize this person, they’re never satisfied. Their work is too tied to their identity, and it’s insatiable. Without God in their life, it’s easy for work to become a god.
2. The Passive
This person puts God in the middle of their work, but they’ve given up - internally or actively. Whether its disillusion, fear, or previous disappointment, this person has just decided not to care anymore – at least in some ways. They live defensively. They’re scared of failure or getting hurt. They quit quietly.
3. The Arrogant
This is the person who has the right ingredients but in the wrong order. They’re still putting themselves in the center, and they merely ask God to bless what they are doing. God isn’t a builder; he’s a building inspector. He’s not a watchman; he’s security system to be turned on and off – as needed. This category is marked by blindness and spiritual hypocrisy. It uses God as one’s lackey – to get what we want and to bless we’re doing.
4. The Pilgrim
Psalm 127 was written to people exerting a lot effort, but their activity was based upon the call of God. The right balance of work begins by understanding that God is central to everything. His work is always the first and greatest. It’s foundational to everything else.
His grace and power make the our work – work! We are invited to work hard, but to do it differently - as an expression of our dependency on God.
The {pilgrim} is not at the center; the Lord is at the center. No matter how hard they had struggled to get there, no matter what they did in the way of heroics—fending off bandits, clubbing lions, crushing wolves—that is not what is to be sung. Psalm 127 insists on a perspective in which our effort is at the periphery and God’s work is at the center.[1]
Take a moment to consider your building, your striving, your activity, and your busyness? Maybe even think about your over-working or under-working. Ask yourself: “How do I work?”
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.” (Ps. 127:1)
Watch or read the sermon:
Unless the Lord Builds the House
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[1] Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, Commemorative Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2019), 105–106.
