Read: Psalm 127:1-2
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.
From time to time, stories appear on the news about sinkholes, usually caused 
by water erosion, that swallow up cars, houses, and people. We’ve all observed the frightening problems that result when houses are built on top of less than solid ground, and erosion creates a sinkhole. The refrain of a familiar old hymn concludes, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” Faith in Christ is the solid foundation for every undertaking.
Self-reliance. Ambition. Diligence. These are values that we applaud in the United States in the 21st century. And they should be applied to the tasks that we undertake. However, as Christians, no matter how diligently we work, unless our life rests securely on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and we ask the blessing of the Lord on our work, neither the work we undertake, nor our very life, will be of lasting value.
Three times in today’s Scripture, the word vain appears. The sense in which vain is used here is “producing no result or useless.” These verses refer to builders laboring in vain, guards standing watch in vain, and to the futility of rising early and staying up late toiling for food to eat. . . in vain. At the end of the day, God grants sleep to those He loves.
Ten years ago this June, the world was jolted by the news that Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop,” had died of cardiac arrest caused by an overdose of drugs. As he rehearsed for an upcoming concert tour, Jackson was desperate for sleep. After Jackson’s death, it was revealed that he had been given the drug Propophol for sixty consecutive days. Although Propofol leaves a patient feeling as if they have experienced genuine sleep, it is an anesthetic. It disrupts the normal sleep cycle and offers no REM sleep. If Jackson had not died of an overdose, the lack of sleep may have resulted in his death within days anyway, according to the testimony of a sleep expert from the Harvard Medical School.
What’s the foundation for your life and your work? Are you resting securely on the solid rock of Jesus, or is there erosion happening beneath the surface that could result in a collapse? To be secure requires God’s grace and your faith. Keep your eyes on Jesus who, as Scripture tells us, is the “founder and perfecter of our faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) As Resurrection Sunday draws closer, and we reflect on the awesome work of our Lord Jesus, let us rest in him, seek his blessing on our work, and depend on the sure foundation of the cross in every aspect of our lives.
Pastor John