Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord guards the city,
the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives sleep to his beloved.
These are powerful words for frazzled seminarians who spend far too much time staying up late and waking up early. There's an alternate translation in verse two that is equally valid that says, "for he provides for his beloved during sleep." This makes God either the granter of sleep or the provider. Either way, it's the grounding I need to not attack my tasks with anxiety. I have biblical permission to go to bed early.
The key is to not pursue what is in vain.
That means tomorrow I will sleep in and then go get pancakes with a friend. And I won't look at homework all day. There are other days for that. Really, this is a step forward in my theological education. I can't help but think that it's appropriate to understand God as the source of pancakes and really good nights of sleep.
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