Relent, Lord! How long will it be? Have compassion on your servants. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. 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.

There are seasons of life where we feel afflicted — a continuous barrage of life problems and challenging relational issues can seem to be dumped on us. How we are prepared for these seasons can make a huge difference.

One analogy of this can be the building of dams and the stress they are under. Beavers build dams. These dams provide them a home and allow them to catch their food supply. But during flood season, these dams can get damaged or destroyed. Too much water pressure can put the dams to the ultimate test.

Mankind has also built dams, some of these more sturdy than others. These dams help regulate water and provide electric power to the nearby region. The big ones are fortified with steel and concrete. They are much more sturdy than the beaver dams. And they take much longer to build, but last for generations.

What I see in this Psalm is that the writer, Moses, is calling out to the Lord 1) to relent on his judgment on them, 2) to show compassion and provision, 3) to provide good days equal to the bad days, and he wants the favor of the Lord to rest upon him.

When we turn to God and cry out to him for his help, he listens and answers us. He gives us the great gifts that he wants to give his obedient children. And his hand of favor rests on us to “establish the work of our hands.”

This is so key and important to living a vibrant and fulfilled life. When God establishes our work, he prepares the way for it to be successful. The work is way more fruitful and he gives us strength to do it!

Preparation is key to the success of any operation. Painters do a ton of paint prep before painting. They tape off (with paper) areas they do not want the paint to hit. They clean their equipment for their next job. They match the paint and make sure with samples it is the right choice for their client.

In another example of prep, we just served 440 police officers and sheriff deputies on Christmas Day. There were many weeks of prep work to get all of the food, equipment, and supplies into the hands of the 60 or so volunteers and their leads in order for this to go smoothly. The actual meals we served were 2.5 hours from start to finish.

Moses was one of the most influential and powerful people in the Bible. He knew the secret of serving God well, asking God to prepare the work. How have I prepared for the work I am about to do? Have I asked God to prepare it? Do I ask for his favor?

Thank you, Lord, for this example. May you prepare the work of my hands. May my heart be receptive to all that you call me to!