Some time ago, I traveled to my wife’s rural home to attend a series of family burials — calamities that struck us in quick succession. As usual, I was relieved to see my mother’s face again; she had come to comfort with us. We hadn’t been together for nearly four months, and as the last-born, I was secretly yearning for this reunion.
We hugged and began to catch up.
I asked her, “When will you return home? Your work schedule must be intense.”
She smiled wryly. “As soon as the funeral ends. I don’t want to stay longer—there’s been a rash of burglaries in our estate. Thieves watch for us to travel, then make off with anything valuable. They even hit our neighbors last week.”
I nodded, wishing I could banish her worry. After finalizing funeral plans, we parted ways. True to her word, once the services concluded she returned home—and that very night, as she slept soundly, the burglars struck. They moved with astonishing silence, cleared out the living room of electronics, and fled before sunrise. Miraculously, she remained undisturbed in sleep.
The next morning she discovered the loss, reported it to the police, and returned home feeling both violated and helpless. The officers, surprised at the stealth of the break-in, offered little investigative help, and the case remains unresolved.
The incidence brought to my mind the timeless words of Solomon:
Psalms 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain; unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”1
God’s watch and Human Diligence
Solomon’s words in Psalm 127 remind us that every safeguard — insurance policies, investments, the neighborhood watch, even law enforcement—is ultimately futile without the Lord’s protection. If He withdraws His hand, every human intervention will prove to be a falsehood. A dark enemy prowls the earth, intent on destruction.2
Yet divine guardianship does not absolve us of responsibility. The watchman still stands guard; laws and government still work to restrain evil “as God’s minister” (Rom. 13:4). Human effort and divine grace must collaborate. As Jesus said: “My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too am working” (John 5:17).
Living Between Two Watches
- Depend on God’s overarching watch and protection — pray and trust for His hedge of safety.
- Diligently set up every reasonable safeguard —alarms, locks, policies, relationships, and community structures.
- Trust that when both watches are kept — divine and human — the whole apparatus functions seamlessly.
As you go about your day, ask yourself:
Am I leaning too heavily on my own schemes?
Am I neglecting my part of the watch?
Let us labor in partnership with our divine Watchman, that neither our efforts nor His grace may be in vain.
