Established
Psalm 90:16-17
Let Your work be seen by Your servants, and Your splendor by their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish for us the work of our hands – establish the work of our hands!
This Psalm is believed to have been written by Moses as a prayer to God. He wanted to see the glory of God displayed among His people and for God’s favor to shine through them. This is the same Moses who desired to see God’s glory for himself, and God hid him in the cleft of the rock while He passed by so Moses would witness the glory from God’s back. Moses did not see God’s face, for he would have died. He could not see what God was about to do, but he did see what God did as a result.
God doesn’t usually show us what He is doing in our lives as He is working. More often than not, we see where God has been at work, unbeknownst to us all the time. He lets us see the back side of His glory, rather than the front. We may not know what God is doing right now, but we can often see where He has been. Moses’s cry here is for God to show Israel where He has been at work by revealing His glory and favor to His people. They had, indeed, seen hardships, abuse, discouragement, disappointment, and failure. Moses asked for the favor of God to be on them and to establish them in the work of their hands. Without the favor of God, a promised land was meaningless. They could not establish it on their own.
Establish means to erect, to set up, to stand. Moses saw all their physical labor failing without the favor of God. If God established the work of their hands, however, it could not fail. Moses asked God to display His glory through the work of their hands and to let His favor be evident in their lives. He did not trust their own ability; he trusted the God who promised them a new land – one flowing with milk and honey. With God’s favor and His glory at work in their lives, a promised land would bring purpose, prosperity, and heritage.
We must be careful not to let our desire have priority over God’s glory. We must desire His work in our lives more than we desire what He promised. If God does not work through us, our labor is in vain, and it can be difficult to maintain or sustain anything we create on our own. If God establishes the work, however, it will surely stand. To gain a desire without God’s glory is like trying to buy a quality diamond ring from a dollar store. While it may be easy and cheap, everyone knows it is fake! God’s glory revealed is worth far more than costly diamonds, and no one can deny its authenticity.
May God’s favor be upon us individually and as a ministry. May we see His work and His splendor displayed in our lives. May He establish the work of our hands, and may we see where He has been at work all along. Most importantly, may we shine like fine diamonds from the radiance of His glory and not our own.
Have a blessed day!