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In my Psalm reading this morning I was in Psalm 127. It begins this way:

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

In vain you rise early and stay up late,

toiling for food to eat - for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Each of us spends time labouring to build a variety of things. Yes, our literal house. Maybe even our home. A business or career. Our reputation. Our church. Our ministry area. Our retirement portfolio. Our base of friends.

But as I reflected on this, I couldn't help but realize how easy it can be to go about our labour without paying attention to God's presence and part in what is being built. And when that happens, everything becomes centred around my own strength. This psalm makes it clear that when it is all in my own strength, the labour - all the work and effort I put into it - is in vain.

By contrast, when I labour in that which God is present, not only is it in vain. I can find rest there. The labour doesn't define me or my story. I can stop - rest - sleep knowing that God is still doing his thing . . . and it isn't done in vain.

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