There are two readings for today.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 127
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. [Psalm 127:1]
I was raised in a culture with a strong work ethic.
In other words, I am a doer, my reliance is more on what I do than on what God does.
Yes, the Lord has to build the house, but my focus is on my labour.
The problem is that my confidence rests more in what I do, than in what God does.
And this becomes stressful, because I know that my work is flawed and limited.
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves. [Psalm 127:2]

The psalmist is not speaking against hard word, but against relying on our hard work.
Those who work, while trusting in God’s work, can relax and rest in God’s power and purpose.
Yes, they need to work, but they do not need to stress.
For He grants sleep to those He loves.
This verse is not saying that the people who can relax are the ones that God loves.
I read this verse as follows: those who trust in God’s love experience true rest.
When we know that God loves us, that God is at work in and through and around us, we lose the stress and anxiety, and can work or sleep in peace.
Jesus is a perfect picture of this: Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm. [Matthew 8:24-26]

Jesus was confident in God’s power and purpose, and in the disciples’ ability to bring the boat through the storm… so He was able to relax.
It’s not that the disciples should have been sleeping, but while they worked through the storm, they should have trusted God at work around them.
For unless God helped them through the storm, they laboured in vain.
We must do what we can do – yes a strong work ethic is good – but we must trust in God’s power and purpose, not in our own efforts.
We build, we row, we watch, we sow, we parent, we plan, we teach, we drive… but our confidence is in God, not in our own efforts.

What Jesus seems to be saying is that no matter the crisis, faith enables us to trust and to rest as we do what we can, leaving the rest to God.
Or put another way, we can sleep every night without worrying or stressing, because after we have done all we can, it still depends on God.
God loves us, He will take care of us, His purpose will be accomplished.

PRAYER:
Lord, help me not to get so stressed when things don’t go as I plan. As I calmly work through the crisis, help me to rest in Your love, to trust in Your work!