Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. (Psalm 127:1b ESV)

Last time we considered the Lord’s providence in our daily labors, or vocation. Now the broader issue of our safety and security is addressed. Do we need the watchman to stay awake on the watch? Absolutely. We need to know that the bad guys are on the move—toward us! Do we need the nightshift workers at the hospital to pay attention to the patients under their care? Indeed. Your own mother may be one of the patients, after all. Do we all need to be the most conscientious drivers we can be. Please do! (Put down your phone.) We are all on the roads together.

However, the psalmist, Solomon, is saying that it is God’s providence that brings our actions to successful fruition. The farmer is a great example of the trust one must have in the God who creates and upholds all things by the word of his power. The farmer plants, fertilizes, weeds, and today he can even irrigate. But God brings the growth! The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines God’s providence as “His completely holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing every creature and every action” (WCF, Q. 11). Our vocations and our very lives require faith.

Well, you ask, then why do bad things happen, like storms, earthquakes, fires, wrecks, etc.? We live in a fallen world. Sin is real. The curse will not go completely away until Jesus returns. But remember, the name of the Lord is our strong tower. We are safe in him. (See Prov. 18:10.) However, we do deal with both moral evil and natural evil in our world. For the Bible’s direct answer and invitation to wrestle with these issues, I refer you to Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. But notice, when questioned about Pilate’s murdering of some Jews, Jesus actually refers to the question of why the tower of Siloam had fallen on some unsuspecting citizens. Yet he does not say why it happened. Instead, he warns us to learn the lesson that life is but a vapor and tomorrow is not guaranteed, even with a faithful watchman. Jesus said that those disasters did not mean one group of sinners was worse than another, but he offers us all a kind warning. “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3 and 5).

So do you work as unto the Lord. Keep the watchman on his post. And run to Jesus, the one who calmed the storm with a word, cast out a group of frightened demons with ease, and healed both an older lady and a young girl (see Mark 4:35-5:43); but also the one who offers the weary and burdened rest for your souls (see Matt. 11:25-29).