“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” (Psalm 90:17).

That was a prayer of Moses, the great man of God. But what did he mean when he asked God to “establish the work of our hands”?

It’s about success. He was asking God to make their work in the world successful. But this wasn’t about constructing grand houses or padding large bank accounts. For a long time he led the Hebrews through the wilderness. They were basically nomads.

I think that in the context of the psalm he was asking God to make them successful as servants. That’s the title he gave to himself and his fellow Hebrews in verses 13 and 16: Servants.

That’s an important emphasis. In our world of mixed-up priorities, we can forget that success is servanthood. It’s not all about fame or beauty or popularity or wealth or even rugged independence. 

Success is servanthood.

When we keep that in mind it gives us a healthier (and more faithful) frame of mind when it comes to our daily activities.

Am I serving God? Am I helping others?

None of us are perfect. As we move forward there are times when we need to adjust our course. Or perhaps we just need a reminder to re-frame our understanding of success based on the word of God.

How are you serving God? How are you helping others?

Perhaps you go out of your way to help when people are in crisis. Perhaps you organize something in your community. Perhaps you lead or help with a ministry at church. Perhaps there is something to do with your work that you see as servanthood. Perhaps there is something you do that only you know about. 

“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.”

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Notes:

–“Doing what’s right with the time you have left.” Sermon. June 18, 2023. Click here.

–Bible quotes are from the NIV.