Walking in Wonder - Draw Near to God as You Navigate Your Child's Second Year of LifeSample

Trusting in God’s Enough

We live in a culture of constant busy. If you listen closely to how people talk about their lives, you may hear a subtle glorification of the overworked, as if busy equates with value and importance. There is a balance in the Christian life. God does call us to seize the day: “So then, be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15–16 nasb 1995). He warns us against laziness: “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep— so shall your poverty come on you like a prowler” (Proverbs 6:10–11). But there is also the tendency to think it all depends on us: to fail to trust in God’s provision, to work for excess instead of enough, to work to impress or to create material lust in our neighbor. These are clearly not of God.

This verse in Psalms is not intended for the lazy. It is a corrective for the heart that is not trusting. It dovetails with Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount to observe the birds of the air and the flowers of the field and how God cares for them— and to not be anxious (Matthew 6:25–36). The limits of our twenty- four- hour day, of our body’s need for adequate sleep, are good tests of where our idols are. If you don’t have time for it all, maybe it’s because you weren’t called to it all.

Today’s verse is a call to examine our heart for idols. Even good things can become gods when pursued in excess. Your desire for a clean house, a perfect body, a successful home business, a little entertainment, or a showcase home can keep you up in vain. If you are exhausted, ask yourself why. Sometimes it is out of our control—the night-waking of a toddler, for instance. But other times our exhaustion reveals places where our hearts need correcting. Pray that God would help you discern the difference.