Yesterday, I posted about my resolution to taste God's word and pray each day before launching into other work. Today, I want to add a reflection on portions of Psalm 127 to draw the connection between this resolution and productivity.
A dear friend and mentor once
pierced my heart with Psalm 127, when I told him I was getting busy with
my day and leaving aside my regular routine of devotions. He quoted
me the first verse of this passage:
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.
This passage has become something of a guiding light for me in how I think about productivity from, for, and with God. Here are some ways that this passage has worked on me:
- Without the Lord either:
- my plans will fail (whatever I'm trying to do will not happen or will fall apart).
- my plans succeed, but whatever I manage to achieve will not be of any true value.
- my plans will fail (whatever I'm trying to do will not happen or will fall apart).
- I deeply relate to "eating the bread of anxious toil." I hate it and don't want it.
- It is a lie that I will have rest from writing that email that tempted me yesterday morning. The Lord gives me sleep, not getting things off my plate.
- My Bible has a note that says the last line is sometimes translated "gives to his beloved in their sleep." If so, then true productivity does not ultimately depend on my hard work. The Lord is Getting Things Done, giving power, productivity, and purpose to my work, even as sleep.
Looked at from this perspective, it is not only bad for my soul to skip or delay my morning feeding of God's Word, it's highly unproductive!
