Psalm 127:1
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
Today, I thought about building. There are so many ways in which we build. Whether we are building a home, business, relationship, or structure of any kind, we are constructing, establishing, or producing something of value to us.
Psalm 127:1 references the Lord’s building and watching relating to His constructing, overseeing, guarding, and protecting, and the importance of His direction. It reminds us that whatever we do, unless the Lord establishes it, it is labor spent in vain.
How is our labor in vain? It is fruitless, useless, to no avail. It is basically a failed effort from the start. Its outcome cannot be excellent or most helpful without God. It may have some measure of beauty, yet it will lack endurance without the Lord’s life and wisdom in it.
When I think of this verse, I think of my life and whatever I plan or design for it. It is truly futile if God is not its architect. Though God gives us a will, authority, and creativity to create and plan, He never means for us to do it without His counsel, as He knows we alone lack the necessary knowledge to be successful.
God sees the future of every endeavor we attempt, along with all else that life presents that surrounds it. Hence, He is the wisest source of counsel we will ever have available to us. So, I am reminded to involve the Lord in anything that I attempt to do if I truly want to be fruitful or prosperous.
We must remember in our planning processes that God’s goals are of utmost importance over ours, as stated in Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”. While humans are ever building for various reasons, true success is linked to God’s purpose.
Consistently seeking God through prayer, listening, and obedience, to know His will for our lives and projects, protects us from wasted time and money. This doesn’t mean we will never make a mistake, but God will work with us to accomplish His wonderful goals.
Moreover, in Luke 14:28-30, Jesus reminds us of the importance of counting the costs of our projects before starting. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
In planning our builds, we are to be certain of how to wisely construct our foundations, remembering 1 Corinthians 3:10: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.”
We want to place whatever we build on a solid foundation, which is our Savior, as shown in Matthew 7:24-25, Jesus’ parable of the wise builder who builds his house on the rock, ensuring it stands firm against storms. Thankfully, God provides the stability, as seen in this parable.
Furthermore, God guards what He has built, making human worry unnecessary. Seeking God’s direction ensures the work is not done in vain.
Ms. Rita's Minute 