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. (Psalm 127:2)
We must always live in faith that God is the one working in and through us (Phil. 2:13). He is the one who makes things tick. We are not ultimate. He is ultimate. We still must build and stay awake and work hard and plan and prepare. But we must not do it anxiously. We must learn to rest in the LORD, and trust his sovereign work in our lives, for “our God is in the heavens, he does whatever he pleases” (Ps. 115:3).
Even though we must work hard, Psalm 127:2 is a reminder that anxious toiling (i.e. trying to get everything done–and more–because “it won’t get done otherwise”) can be fatal. It can keep us from getting proper rest and retreat. A hard day’s work is good, but a good night sleep is better. God wants to give his people rest so that they might work hard tomorrow, but a day of anxious toiling might not only prevent someone from crawling into bed, worrying about your work might keep someone up at night thinking, “Did I do enough today?”
This way of thinking is rooted in the sovereignty of God. If God is sovereign to you (as he should be!), you will work hard in faith, and rest knowing that the results lie in God’s hand. If God is semi-sovereign or not at all, you will work hard, and you will either refuse rest or not get it because you’ll constantly wonder what you can do better or differently next time.
JAMES PRUCH 