waketh in vain

"Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." says Psalms 127:1.

At late night last Saturday, the sound of an alarm came off from a car seemingly close by. I was waken up by it. My car was set up with an alarm system with the same sound. I was worried that someone would steal it. So I went to the living room to take a look at it from the window.

I saw no one around the car. As I was staying at a friend's place and most people were asleep, I didn't want to trigger any beep from the house alarm in such hour. Therefore I didn't get out of the place to take a closer look. The above verse came to my mind. I knew that I didn't have enough trust in Him. Rather, I held with one hand the remote control of my car and with another hand a cell phone with which I planned to call 911. By the window I sleepily stared at the surroundings for a long while.

At 3am, someone who was invited to the place was leaving. I took the opportunity to get out to check my car. Then I noticed no flashing red LED light from it. Its alarm system wasn't activated. So the alarm sound I previously heard must not be from the car. It didn't proof that there wasn't any car thief but there wasn't enough proof that there was either. I turned on the alarm system and went back to bed.

The next morning when I headed out for Sunday service, I came to realize that the car wasn't locked for the whole night. And nothing in it was stolen. I was watching over my car that night. How much difference did that make?

"Except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." says Psalms 127:1.