Psalm 128
A song of ascents.
1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
who walk in obedience to him.
2 You will eat the fruit of your labor;
blessings and prosperity will be yours.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Yes, this will be the blessing
for the man who fears the Lord.
5 May the Lord bless you from Zion;
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children’s children—
peace be on Israel.
I'm a firm believer that you can't pour from an empty cup, so I take time to recharge using the vacation Peace gives me. Over the years, I've noticed that my travels bring out the same three things I tend to ruminate on: family, work, and my place in the world.
I imagine that's not so different from the pilgrims who recited this Psalm of Ascent on their way up to Jerusalem.
Psalm 128 is a handy four-fold prayer for your own journeys:
Fearing the Lord (v. 1). Understanding our place in the world begins with understanding our place before God. This verse invites us to have a healthy reverence for God's power and majesty.
Gratitude for work (v. 2). Whatever you do, or have done, for work is good and worth appreciating. We don't always love our jobs, but we can be thankful for what they provide, like food for our bodies.
Family (vv. 3-4). Family is the first group of people given to care for us, and often the people we are called to care for the longest. Husbands, wives, grandmas, and cousins are all people we can thank God for.
The future (vv. 5-6). Our relationship to the future can be tricky, mostly because we fear it or try to control it. This prayer invites us to simply give thanks for whatever future we have and trust it to God's care. That lets God be God, and lets us be present where we are.
On your next round trip, try adapting these sections to your own life. Start by standing in awe of God, then give thanks for your work, your family, and your future in words that hit close to home.
– Pr. Jason
God, thank you for all the gifts you have given me. Help me to receive my work, my family, and my future as good gifts from you. Amen.
