March 6
Verse of the Day for March 6
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.Psalm 127:2 KJV
The Key of Stillness · Day 6 of 31
Reflection · 3 min read
He Giveth His Beloved Sleep
This psalm opens by saying that if the Lord does not build the house, the builders work for nothing, and that if he does not keep the city the watchman may as well go home.
Then it gets specific about the hours.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Rising early, sitting up late, eating the bread of sorrows — that last phrase is the one that lands. Food eaten anxiously. Meals taken standing up while worrying.
The psalm calls it vain. Not wicked, not lazy in reverse — vain, meaning empty, meaning it does not produce what you are extending yourself to produce.
And the alternative offered is not a better technique. It is sleep, given as a gift, to people described as beloved. The rest is evidence of the relationship rather than a reward for finishing.
The extra hours were empty.The sleep was the gift.
There is work that must be done and this psalm is not against it. It is against the specific hours you add out of fear that God will not cover the gap.
You are not the one keeping the city.
Carry this today
Which of your hours are being worked out of fear?
Pray
Read Psalm 127:1–2
1[A Song of degrees for Solomon.] Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Keep praying
Reflection by Collins Asein, from the daily devotionals in the PrayerKey app. Bible text: King James Version.