In vain you rise up early and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat – for he grants sleep to those he loves. (Psalms 127:2 NIV)
As a kid, we all had chores. Didn’t these seem futile? Why carry out the trash if it’s just going to fill up again? Why empty the dishwasher if Mom is going to put more dishes in there? When is work ever done? If it’s up to us as humans – never. If something is empty, we fill it, don’t we! The psalmist tells us that human endeavors are futile!
As the dog days of summer are upon us, we would be wise to remember that work in and of itself makes us anxious. In today’s culture our accomplishments disappear too quickly. In this fast-paced, better yet, supersonic-paced culture we need more. When more is no longer an option worry and anxiety begin to consume us. Can we ever have our fill? We end up “toiling for food to eat.” The above translation falls a little flat. The King James translation claims that when we rise early and stay up late over and over, we are inevitably: “eating the bread of sorrow.” Now this translation has some weight. We may have a lot to eat but it turns to ash in our mouths because of what we have risked in the process or what it has cost us.
Working feverishly to impress people is not what God has intended for us. To rise early and stay up late maintains a miserable existence. The psalmist writes that God grants sleep, or rest, to those he loves. Do you feel God’s love today? Or, are you consistently eating the bread of sorrow? Are you a blessing to your family and friends? Or, are you always at your wits end because you cannot seem to get it all done?
God desperately wants to fill you up. Although this season in your life may require a lot of effort, remember it is only a season. When it passes, take time to celebrate and enjoy the work of the Lord in your life that allows you rest.
Jonathan Sullivan is the Pastor at First Baptist Church, 1201 Western Circle Dr., in Dimmitt, Texas. Small groups meet on Sunday morning at 9:30 and Worship is at 10:30. Check us out at fbcdimmitt.com for more events and times. Come celebrate with us.