Establish thou the work of our hands
“And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.”Psalm 90:17
Reflection
Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, the only one the Bible records with his name in this book. He speaks of the brevity of human life, compared to the grass that flourishes in the morning and withers by evening, and asks: "So teach us to number our days." At the end, after all this realism, comes a request full of hope: "And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." Even before fragility, Moses asks that human work not be in vain.
Notice the request has two parts. First, "the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us": the favor, goodness and approval of God. Before any work, the presence of the Lord. Then, "establish thou the work of our hands": that what we do may have firmness, endure and bear fruit. And the request is repeated with emphasis: "yea, the work of our hands establish thou it." Moses insists, almost pleads. We know that much of what we do is passing. Only what God establishes remains.
This shows something important: our work matters to God. The "work of our hands" (caring for the home, teaching, building, serving, cultivating, raising children, serving at church) is neither waste nor a lesser activity. These are things God can establish. At the same time, the verse reminds us that permanence comes from Him. We can work diligently and still recognize that the final value depends on the Lord establishing it. This removes the weight of having to guarantee everything alone and the pride of thinking everything depends on us.
Today, make this prayer for what occupies your hands. Choose a concrete task (work, home, a project, a relationship) and pray: "Lord, let Your beauty be upon this, and establish the work of my hands." Then work with a heart at peace and with dedication. Do not worry about what time will erase: what God establishes, He keeps. Whoever works under the Lord's favor discovers that even small tasks gain eternal meaning.
Prayer
Lord, let Your beauty be upon me and upon what I do. Establish the work of my hands: my work, my home, my service. Teach me to number my days with wisdom and to work with dedication and peace, knowing that only what You establish remains. Amen.
Put it into practice
Choose a concrete task for today and pray: "Lord, let Your beauty be upon this, and establish the work of my hands." Then work with a heart at peace.
To reflect on
What work of your hands do you need to hand over today to the Lord, asking Him to establish it?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).