It is vain for you to rise up early,
To retire late,
To eat the bread of toil;
For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.
Behold, children are a gift of Jehovah,
The fruit of the womb is a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
So are the children of one’s youth.
— Psalm 127:2-3
Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
— John 12:24
It is when we allow the Lord to give us sleep that we become fruitful. The next few verses of this psalm are very attractive: “Behold, children are a heritage of Jehovah, the fruit of the womb a reward” (v. 3). When we become restful, then we also become fruitful. When we accept the Lord’s arrangement for us, and when we give up trying to do so much for the Lord, then we have children.
As we are resting like a seed under the ground, children are being produced. As we rest in the Lord’s hand and the Lord’s government, we eventually have “the fruit of the womb.” This is against our concept. We often think that we need to work hard to be fruitful. We think that we need to equip ourselves, be trained, and do many things, but the Lord says, “No. It is when you sleep that you will have children. When you rest in My hand, you will see fruit.” We need to tell the Lord, “Lord, I am willing to bury myself and die. I want to get away from anything of my self, including all my activities. Lord, just give me rest.” Then we will be fruitful.
Adapted from The Journey of Life, page 68.
Monday: “Bearing Fruit as We Sleep”