"Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain."
Psalm 127:1 (NIV)
Oh, we need the Lord! It is true that each of us are builders, and that we daily make decisions; will we be wise and build? Or will we be foolish and tear down? YET, even if we are wise and decide to build, this Builder’s Psalm teaches us that without God’s blessing and grace, even our wise efforts will be wasted effort. Surely that is what VAIN means: wasted effort. If I make the wise decision to build, but do not have God’s help, I will have wasted my effort! If I make the wise decision to watch over my life and my family, and do not have God’s help, I will have wasted my effort! If I work and work and work, to provide for myself and my family, and do not have God’s help, I will have wasted my effort!
Oh friend, do we believe this psalm? Do we believe that we are completely dependent upon the Lord’s blessing? If we answer ABSOLUTELY, then the next questions are: Do we show our belief by prayer? Do we ask for His help? Do we seek His blessing? Do we commit our efforts unto Him?
As a father, I find the ending of this psalm to be very pointed. The psalm starts with building, moves to guarding and then to providing, but ends with children. The ending interprets the beginning and therefore this whole psalm is about family. The Hebrew word translated children is very similar to "builder" (banayikh (your children) and bonayikh (your builders)). God gave Wanda and I six children, and we build, and we guard and we toil (they will be the death of us yet!), but if we don’t seek His blessing, if we don’t ask for His help, if we don’t commit them to God, our efforts will have been wasted. We are then demonstrating that we don’t understand the truth of this psalm.
May each of us, whether we are building families, or our own single lives, may each of us grow in recognizing our complete dependence on the LORD! May we seek His blessing, His favour, His face! Then may we enjoy the sleep that He grants those who work hard while depending on Him!
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