Not Alone

Being CEO can be overwhelming. The past few mornings, I’ve climbed back in bed for about 10 minutes just to pull the covers over my head and block out some of the worries that seem to shadow me. Bills, job applications, appointments, commitments, housework, laundry…etc, etc.

This morning, after getting out of bed for the second time, I headed downstairs and opened up my Bible for the first time this week. (Is there a correlation between not studying the word and my nagging spector of worry? Probably.) I tried to read over my little study passage…but it was on Hebrews 12 about God disciplining his children. (“Please don’t discipline me right now, Lord…I feel so burdened already!”) So, I let the Bible fall in half to the middle of the Psalms and I came across the Ascent Songs.

Psalm 127
1 Unless the LORD builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the LORD watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to[a] those he loves.

I can do nothing without God’s support and guidance. I cannot will myself success or prosperity. I cannot provide food, keep the house clean, get the bills paid on time, or make my garden grow all on my own. I cannot even will myself to sleep. (How many of us have tried to do that on sleepless nights?) It is a gift from God.

But if I am powerless, He is powerful. He will direct my path so that I can make wise decisions. (Proverbs 31:16) He is my strength so that I can scrub the floors and get to work on time. (Proverbs 31:17) He is my provider so that we have what we need to pay the bills...and more besides. (Proverbs 31:20) He is the guardian of my way. (Proverbs 31:25 If God is for me, who can be against me? If God is watching over me, what disaster can I fear?

So, I’m erasing that TO DO list for tomorrow and focusing on my tasks today.

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your steadfast love and for giving us what we cannot give ourselves. For being tender with your children and acting always out of love for us. Even when you discipline us, you bind up our sorrows, you take on our burdens, and you draw us near through Christ our Lord.