Psalm 127: Wait for the Work of the Lord

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We have a strange relationship to work. Some of us are workaholics. Others are “working for the weekend.”

Of all the Pilgrim Psalms, Psalm 127 provides us a theology of work. As Eugene Peterson points out in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, the first thing the Bible tells us about God is that God created–God worked. Work is at the core of who we are as creatures in God’s image. Unlike God, however, we have limits to what we can achieve with our work. Psalm 127 tells us that we can keep watch, but only God keeps us secure. We can plant, but only God can give the harvest. Peterson compares frantic activity on the one hand and detached laziness on the other. In between those extremes is work that is full of joy and meaning, that trusts the Lord for the miracles of life and food, and that rests securely in the Lord when work is over.

This leadsheet is a free download. If you sing this song in your church please report its use to CCLI or OneLicense.

words and music by Greg Scheer
inspired by Psalm 127
copyright July 2020
CCLI #7163173
OneLicense #111575

Wait for the work of the Lord.
Wait for the work of the Lord.
Wait for the work, wait for the work,
wait for the work of the Lord.

1. We will build while there is sunshine
and keep watch throughout the night,
but only God can bless us
and guard our very lives.

Wait for the work of the Lord…

2. We will rise at dawn for planting
and we’ll pray for rain and sun,
but anxious toil and worry
rob sleep from those God loves.

Wait for the work of the Lord…

3. For our labors are a blessing
we conceive in faith and love,
but God alone brings life and breath;
we work, we pray, we trust.

Wait for the work of the Lord…