God’s Work and Your Work
Scripture — Psalm 90:16-17 (NRSV)
Let your work be manifest to your servants
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us
and prosper for us the work of our hands—
O prosper the work of our hands!
Focus
As you begin a new year, it’s good to remember that your work matters to God. Moreover, as you work, God is working in you and through you and with you. Psalm 90 shows that God will help your work to prosper. This is true for all sorts of work, not just that for which you are paid. Yes, God will help you to prosper in your job (or jobs). But God will also join you in the work of parenting, grandparenting, caregiving, volunteering, and serving. If you’re a young, stay-at-home parent, God will bless your work. If you’re a retired third thirder, God has a purpose for your life and can prosper the work you do in retirement. Thus, with the psalm writer, we pray, “O prosper the work of our hands!”
Devotion
In yesterday’s Life for Leaders devotion, I focused on the first verses of Psalm 90, including: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God” (90:1-2). It seemed appropriate, as we began a new year, to remember that God has always been – and still is – our dwelling place. Moreover, it’s always timely to rejoice in the fact that no matter the time or the year, God is always God.
As Psalm 90 continues, we find continued reflection on our experience of time: “For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh. The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away” (90:9-10). These verses, which sound curiously similar to verses in Ecclesiastes, reflect a sense of life’s limits. They suggest that whatever we do in this life will soon “fly away.”
Psalm 90 does not end on such a dismal note, however. The final verses of the speak in this way to the Lord:
Let your work be manifest to your servants
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us
and prosper for us the work of our hands—
O prosper the work of our hands!
First of all, the psalm writer prays for God’s work to be “manifest” or visible. Seeing God at work in our lives can be a great encouragement, especially when life feels empty and unfruitful.
Yet that’s not the end of the psalm. After asking to see God’s work, the psalmist prays, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands – O prosper the work of our hands!” (90:17). What we do in this life may be limited and the fruits of our labors may not last forever, but our work can be of value nevertheless.
The Hebrew verb kûn, translated by the NRSV as “prosper,” has the basic meaning of “establish.” It is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to describe God’s work in creation (see Psalm 119:90, for example). It suggests a kind of solidness, stability, and permanence. Other translations of verse 17 help us to grasp some of the nuances of kûn:
Let the kindness of the Lord our God be over us.
Make the work of our hands last.
Make the work of our hands last. (CEB)
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us:
establish the work of our hands for us –
yes, establish the work of our hands. (NIV)
As I reflect on this final line of prayer from Psalm 90, I’m struck by the fact that it affirms the value of our daily work. It underscores one of the most basic truths of the faith-work movement: Our work matters to God.
Yet this verse adds something we mustn’t overlook. Though our work matters to God, it isn’t just our work. It’s also God’s work. If our work is going to prosper, we need God’s help. We need the Lord to make our work last. Thus, Psalm 90 not only affirms the value of our work but also reminds us that we work in partnership with and reliance upon God.
This is something to take to heart as we begin a new year. Yes, your work matters to God. And as you work, God is working in you and through you and with you. God will help your work to prosper. I should note that this is true for all sorts of work, not just that for which we are paid. Yes, God will help you to prosper in your job (or jobs). But God will also join you in the work of parenting, grandparenting, caregiving, volunteering, and serving. If you’re a young, stay-at-home parent, God will bless your work. If you’re a retired third thirder, God has a purpose for your life and can prosper the work you do in retirement. Thus, with the psalm writer, we pray, “O prosper the work of our hands!”
Reflect
Can you think of a time (or many times) when God prospered the work of your hands? If so, what happened? What was that like for you?
When you think of God’s work, what comes to mind?
If God were to prosper the work of your hands in 2024, what might happen?
Act
The musicians of the Porter’s Gate Worship Project have created a marvelous series of songs that take seriously the heavenly value of our earthly work. One of these songs reflects the last verses of Psalm 90. Do yourself a favor and listen to the song, “Establish the Work of Our Hands.” If you were to sing this song, what would you be asking the Lord to do for you?
Pray
Gracious God, today I echo the prayer of Psalm 90:
Let your work be manifest to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and prosper for us the work of our hands—
O prosper the work of our hands!
Yes, Lord, I ask you to prosper the work of my hands in 2024. May what I do honor you and contribute to your work in the world. And may you add your blessing to my labors. To you be all the glory! Amen.
Banner image by Joel Muniz on Unsplash.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Stonemasons.
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Mark D. Roberts
Senior Strategist
Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a Senior Strategist for Fuller’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership, where he focuses on the spiritual development and thriving of leaders. He is the principal writer of the daily devotional, Life for Leaders,...