“Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen keep watch in vain” (Ps 127:1b).
All our human efforts always have a limit, which the Father Himself, in His wisdom, has set. We human beings easily exalt ourselves and forget from whom we come, where we are going and who it is that has given us everything we have.
Wise and prudent is the one who does not overlook this reality and who acts on it.
Whether at the personal, family or state level, the same reality applies: despite all efforts, no one can guarantee his or her own protection. What seems secure to us today may already be destroyed tomorrow.
In this way, the Lord wants to let us know that we can only enjoy true security and protection when we let Him be the guardian of our city. Once this is clear, it is certainly not excluded that we also take human precautions.
Our Father reminds us of the hierarchy of things. The watchman cannot protect the city without God’s help. If he falls asleep, the enemy will be able to defeat him. If the enemy is more cunning than he is, he will be able to deceive him.
Therefore, we must put into practice the exhortation to undertake nothing without the help of our Father. In everything we do, we must ask for His blessing and protection. Already in the morning, upon awakening, we note His loving and tender presence, which protected us during the night. Our Heavenly Father assures us of it and we can firmly count on it.
Thus, the Lord “guards your coming and going, now and forever” (Ps 121:8); He watches over all our paths, especially the one that leads us to Him in eternity.
When the day comes to an end, we exclaim in the Gospel canticle of Compline, “Save us, O Lord, awake, protect us while we sleep, that we may watch with Christ and rest in peace.”