Good morning. It is Labor Day, a national holiday given to celebrate work and the worker. I would like to share this thought from
Psalm 90:16-17
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
If Psalm 90 sounds familiar, we are likely to remember Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. That thought certainly proves to be the heart of the Psalm. Verses 16-17 as we read them above are the ending of the Psalm.
Verse 16 prays that the work of the Lord be shown to His people, thereby revealing His glory. Verse 17 is Moses’ prayer for his own efforts and the efforts of all Godly servants. There are some who are rankled by any mention of the “works” of man, feeling that such a thing disputes or at least disconnects us from the absolute power of God’s grace. This verse prays that God will “establish” our work. But what does that mean?
I think that every Christian leader and servant, from time to time, wonders if their efforts are really making a difference for the Kingdom, or are we spinning our wheels and fooling ourselves? To answer that concern, we need to pray that God will manifest Himself by “establishing” our works. This in no way circumvents God’s grace and effort, it simply acknowledges the job(s) He has given us to do and our desire to do each job well.
Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses. Moses certainly had his doubts and fears, wondering if all of his labors to bring the people of God out of Egypt and to the Promised Land were ultimately for naught. This is what is being said by Moses in Exodus 5:22-23 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” Moses is saying that while he is working according to God’s plan, so far things are not going well at all!
Moses can only see the here and now, and what was happening at that moment seemed disastrous. His question of the Lord is why had he been sent to do all this work on God’s behalf if God wasn’t going make things work out? God responds to Moses in Exodus 6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”
God answers Moses as a refreshment for his spirit, assuring him that it is He, the Lord God Almighty who is in control. Moses’ work is not in vain, God is going to follow through as promised, but in His time!
Turning back to Moses’ prayer in Psalm 90, he begins the prayer by acknowledging God:
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations.
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the whole world,
from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
As he draws his prayer to a close, Moses cries out to God to relent from His anger and prays in verses 13-14 for God’s compassion.
Relent, Lord! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
May our prayers on this Labor Day join with the voice of Moses so long ago, that God in all His glory would “establish” our work, all of our efforts in His name. It is only when God is at the center of our work that His Kingdom is glorified, and it is then that our efforts are established and blessed. We must work hard for Him, but always with patience, trust, and faith.
Enjoy a wonderful Labor Day!
Vern