Humans have a complicated relationship with the idea of control. Sayings such as, “He’s totally out of control” or admonitions to “Get control of yourself!” give the impression that we are supposed to take charge, be organized, stay calm, and do what needs to be done. Conversely, the first step in many 12-step recovery programs is to admit our lack of control. Meanwhile, being too tightly wound leads to accusations that we are “control freaks.”

Psalm 127 reads like a response to folks caught in the latter category. Maybe people building the house or guarding the city aren’t “control freaks,” but they seem to have an unrealistic sense of their own ability to determine outcomes. Rising early and going to bed late, they labor in vain—because, the psalmist says, it is God who is in charge.

The psalmist’s message, however, is not quite so simple or literal. Leaving building material in a vacant lot and waiting for the Lord to build the house is likely to be a futile effort. It reminds me of high school friends who didn’t study for a math exam but instead prayed that God would help them pass because “God is in control.” I wanted to say, “Yes, but God also gave you a brain and a math textbook and a teacher so you’d learn this stuff for the exam.”

Psalm 127 speaks to the deep human desire—and temptation—to ascribe to ourselves more power than we actually possess, and to take credit for more than we deserve. But the psalm is not an excuse to wash our hands of responsibility. Instead we are called to a balance: of toil and rest, of work and discernment, of gratitude and accountability. We have work to do, but we attend to it within a world God has created for our good, and for the good of those with whom we share it.