Prayer and Psalm 127

By: Chris Gaffney

Psalm 127 reads as follows from the King James Version of the bible:

1] 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.
[2] 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.
[3] Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
[4] As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
[5] Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies
in the gate.

This psalm is seemingly separated in two parts but there is also a continuance to where the Lord gives an individual sleep and children, both of which are considered blessings flowing from his hand but blessings that also contain elements which operate as a buffer as it is in the case of the children who speak with the enemies at the gates and metaphorically are like full quivers of arrows and who act as a buffering presence in the face of the discomforting presence of the nemesis or enemies at the gate. This encounter depicted is not understood by most interpretations of this psalm as anything to do with a violent confrontation but it was custom in that time that discussions were held, often of the legal kind at the gate in the town or city. This verse would therefore refer to children that were at least mostly grown as helping the father. The sleep acts as a buffer to overdoing it and getting to worked up about the worldly efforts and how they will transcribe as time goes on.

From this we see that the Lord’s blessings can also have a part that is a buttress for us, against unfriendly elements. Something to ponder then from this psalm is how the Lord fortifies us in various ways.

I had heard a sermon a long time ago on this psalm and it was at an outdoor service in the summer and I remember the homilist saying specifically about the first two verses about pertaining to work and prayer. How the excessive emphasis on work as opposed to prayer can lead to a vain situation presented here. People do say their work is their prayer but this is talking about focused prayer in the presence of the Lord. He went on to mention that this balance can easily be lost in the pace and time of modern society and it is important to fine tune this balance and the call back to prayer is something that is brought about by maybe increasing difficulties which would have been graced against had prayer been resorted to in the first place.

Something to also think about is the necessity of leisure time and activities that could be considered leisurely pursuits rather than work. Often, people feel if they are churning the wheels of work, then somehow it is all good and it is always fully justified based on the ethic of hard work. As far as generating person hood and a balanced prayer life, leisure could be important and people sometimes correlate leisurely activities like walking alone on a beachfront in the early dawn with personal prayer. This time is for leisure but also carves into time alone with the Lord in prayer. Many people go through long periods of time when they usurp leisurely pursuits for the seemingly greater goals of work and whether this is the best thing for spiritual growth and maintenance is something to ponder in the context of what this psalm is saying. True turns in your life are under the control of the Lord. One thing to think about is does the Lord suddenly value you that much more because of recent work successes?

In this psalm we could speculate that the beloved to whom this psalm is addressed, is generally beloved regardless of work successes or indeed additional successes or toppings don't increase the status as of the beloved, because it says he gives his beloved sleep and how much can you be increasing your status or drive towards that while sleeping? So this psalm also indicates that the status of beloved has intrinsic qualities to it, that are there regardless of what is generated off of given efforts towards labor or building and rising up early or staying up late and eating the" bread of sorrows".

Then, is this psalm just riding over that the Lord is not only giving the beloved sleep, he actually giving the beloved everything that is needed to bring him to the place of peaceful sleep. The only other possibility would be that the Lord might bring sleep but not always the fuller answer to content with what is going into the realm of vain efforts. But it is just as likely that what this psalm is really saying that the relief has been total and the Lord has relieved this person to the extent that their problems are solved and they can enjoy a peaceful sleep as well. Why would the Lord just give the sleep and not all else that pertains to consolation? Since he is in the mode of giving with it be limited giving?.

It is interesting that something like the expression in this psalm of " eat the bread of sorrows" survives to this day. People today, say things like these problems are eating away at me or my worries are eating away at me. Here this psalm is saying not to imbibe in this type of outlook, that going there, hosting this extensive worry and excessive concern, just isn't go to work regardless as it is also a vain effort.

Unless the Lord's part rises, like the sun rising in the distant horizon of the early morn, there is only so much that can be done. Something to discuss specifically in prayer, is not only what is of concern and worrisome, but just what the Lord's part will be against the backdrop of these worries that indeed may be eating away at my happiness, and how much deference is actually needed to the Lord's part and giving understanding to the manifold ways in which the Lord's part may emerge into the scenes of my life and giving room and acceptance to that emergence.

Whatever we need, we all need blessings or daily blessings as we go about in the world. We depend on so many small blessings that just must happen for our days or day to go well. No matter what overall standing you can achieve, you don't lose the place of having to rely on daily blessings coming thru and coming your way. There is no exemption to this. The clause, expect the Lord play his part, is without exception if you want blessings and good things. You can stand on the words of this psalm and approach the Lord asking him that except you labor with me, build with me, I can't do this and this isn't going to happen to the extent that I want it to happen or I hope for it to happen. This is not passing the buck but just going into the reality of what we believe actual is according to the words and wisdom of this important psalm. The reality is I'm depending or dependant on the Lord coming into this to some degree in the manner of labor or building and in the manner of watching for me. With this should come a greater understanding of that which is coming through as contextual to the Lord's labor for me and the Lord's close watch for me as I strive to keep the relationship close in the manner of prayer, reverence and heeding the presence of the Holy Spirit. Even in small but conspicuous ways the Lord's presence comes through as part of a overall and continuous watch, a watch that is for the city as a whole, yes, but also contained to a watch for you personally..

The Lord will come right into that area that involves this need for a watch and assist with these concerns which should be lifted up to him. Rising up early means is rising up to contend with these concerns and worries rather than rising up in prayer to the Lord. It is not that you still don't retain the quality of alertness but the rising up is not to greet these concerns head on but only with the assistance of the presence of the Lord.

Indeed someone might legitimately have real sorrows to contend with but the status being of the beloved supersedes the sorrows and the Lord in this psalm comes into the sorrows and takes on a role to where the beloved can indeed sleep on it and give it to the Lord.

There is a place of labor, but laboring in vain can be crossed into and the Lord can quickly allow the efforts of labor to dissipate or come to nothing. You do know people possibly even yourself that have made tremendous long term work efforts but these efforts can be lost in vanity and the results of vanity which are warned against here.

Here, the Lord gives as an anecdote to the festering worries, sleep. But it may not be just sleep or only sleep, what else the Lord is trying to give as the contrast against the real worries that are keeping someone awake to trouble or leaping forward into their presence in maybe frightening ways. It is not only a matter of asking the Lord to relieve you of these great worries, but also going into them and asking what the Lord prefers to give you, within the topic of concern. Even in the throes of keen difficulties, it is not only a matter of asking the Lord to relieve the difficulties but to also seek what he would give. The seeking process is not just getting the Lord to give or pleading for something specific, but also finding out and understanding what the Lord is and will be giving if you don't run past it, as this is what is happening by vain efforts, the individual goes right past what the Lord had for him or her. It is like someone running a race and getting so focused on the goal they run right past the water stop or whatever people are trying to give as an aid or help for the race. The example here of watching for a whole city, how can an individuals efforts in this direction compare to what the Lord could do in terms of watching for a city?

The natural tendency when in trouble is to look for any way out, rather than even contemplating that the Lord might have something to give, right from the midst of the troubles you are in. This psalm says don’t “ eat the bread of sorrows" but to seek right within these sorrows what the Lord has to give. You don’t have to be free and clear of troubles, to go right to seeking what the Lord actually has for you and may give you.

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