Establish Our Work

I can’t help but have a smile on my face and have my heart touched when I read these words:

May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

We work hard at many things – not just our employment but our relationships, our service work, even the chores and handiwork we do.  I don’t know about you but when I know someone appreciates what I do, it gives me energy to get going and do a decent job. 

That’s the kind of encouragement I get from this verse. God’s favour, God’s blessing, God’s approval, God’s appreciation of what we do.  To know that we have that kind of appreciation resting on us.  That does my heart good.  So we are praying today:  “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us.”

Lord I pray that we will know today for whom we work.  We’re not just slaving away to make our next dollar or even because we have a grumpy boss who is requiring certain things of us.  We are working to serve You, our Loving God, who appreciates every effort we make.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 2:23-24

We want to really give ourselves, our whole physical effort and an attentive heart to what You call us to be involved in today. We want to do well.  Forgive us for times when we’ve done things in a slipshod half-hearted kind of way.  Help us to find meaning in even the simplest and mundane tasks as we do them for you. Amen

Some friends of mine came back after a mission trip to Latin America years ago and talked about the “little jobs for Jesus” tasks they had done that were not their favourite things to do but they did them for Jesus.  That’s the kind of perspective I’m praying we will bring to the tasks of this day.