June 9: Long Days

1 Kings 5:1-6:38

Acts 7:1-29

Psalm 127:1-5

Proverbs 16:28-30

"Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor 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."

There is something poignantly, painfully timely reading this verse at 11:30 PM, having gotten up at 5AM to go to work and just gotten back at 10PM, having just finished packing for yet another work trip to Florida and California, having just come back on the redeye Saturday morning from a similar trip.  I admit there are days I ask myself if I am working too hard, if how I work reflects a lack of trust in God.  Because I really have to tell you, sleep sounds really good these days.  

The truth is, I don't know if I am working too hard.  All I know is to do the work He has given me the best I can.  I know the results are not in my hands, and the results will sometimes be different than those I would've chosen for myself (see: Stephen, stoning).  But Stephen didn't flinch, didn't stray from the path of proclamation God had put before him.  Neither, for that matter, did Solomon, when it came to the long, challenging task of actually building the Lord's house.  And the Bible tells us how much Solomon was blessed; and it is with faith we can be certain Stephen has been blessed as well.

So I go to bed now, thanking God for the opportunity to be worker in the process of building His kingdom, trusting He will tell me what to do and when to do it, and hoping I will be familiar enough with His voice to hear, and faithful enough to Him to obey, knowing that the results are in His hands and, in His time, He will grant me the sleep I need.