Psalm 127 is a 'Song of Ascent', a group of psalms that were sung by the Jewish people as they traveled to Jerusalem for one of the festivals. The road to Jerusalem was long and uphill as they approached the city, and I can only imagine the buzz in the air as you would hear people singing and chanting on their way in. The picture I have in my head is a giant, seemingly never ending, parade leading to a giant tailgate, no matter where in the city you went, you would hear the people coming in.
Knowing that Psalm 127 is a kind of celebratory song, that people were singing and chanting it on their way to the most important events, helps me to not beat myself up over its message. Instead of self shaming thoughts of "woe is me, all this work I'm doing is useless if it's not God's work" or others’ shaming thoughts of "you shouldn't be striving, you should trust God and work with his plans", I read this and think "GUYS, GUYS, look at all the work The LORD has done! He's built this house, protected this city, giving us all rest. AND THESE KIDS! With this little army, surely everyone will see that The LORD is with us!"
We are headed into a season of holidays in our culture, both religious and not, but as we go into the holiday season, let us think of how we can celebrate what The LORD has done.
Christ City, rejoice, The LORD is with us! Your success in family, business, and community is all evidence of The LORDs favor and blessings.
- Jesse B.