Ps 128:1-4 “Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. 2 You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your sons will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD." NIV
Psalm 128:1-4 is a psalm that every believer should build their faith and thinking upon! Do you fear the Lord? Do you walk in His ways? Then this verse is for you! Let it shape your expectations. Let it direct your prayers. There is great promise for all of those who fear the Lord and walk in His ways.
Have you ever been in a dry season where you have questioned the sanity of all the things that you have done as a result of faith? Have you spent extended seasons laboring in obedience before the Lord only to see less return than you had expected. This passage is for you! Verse 2 carries a precious promise for those who are weary in well doing and for those who are just beginning their life journey in the things of the Spirit. “You will eat the fruit of your labor…” We do not have to live in fear that our labors have been or will be for nothing. The Lord’s promise is sure. If we walk in obedience and faithfulness before the Lord the reward is sure!
Not only does this passage provide assurance of God’s response to a faithful heart it speaks clearly to us of how our expectations should be formed and our faith directed. The fruit of faithful labor in the Lord is centered on a few primary facets: “blessing and prosperity will be yours…” is the first facet of the reward of God. The Lord is faithful in the realms of both material and emotional reward. Happiness in a context of abundant provision is the promise of God. The promise of God does not stop with these things however. The fruit of living in holy fear impacts the quality of our family life. The hope provided in verse 3 is that every member of the family is blessed and affected by the choice to live in the fear of the Lord. This is the blessing that comes to those who follow.
The true fear of the Lord is reflected in every sphere of life. How we think, how we communicate in our relationships, our decision making, our ambitions and goals all demonstrate the measure to which we fear the Lord. Verse four provides for us a great measure of comfort as we embark on this journey as it concludes this theme by restating once again: “Thus is the man blessed who fears the LORD.” Raise your expectations of the reward of a life lived in the fear of God and remind the Lord of His promises as you shape your life with the expectation of blessing on your resources, emotions and family members.
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