While reading in Psalms recently, I became stuck on verse 1 of Psalm 127: Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is evident later in the chapter that the house mentioned in this verse is not literally four walls and a foundation, but it is the family inside it. This thought caused me to reflect genuinely on whom I am counting on to build my house; and in the process, God gave me a few things to consider.
First of all, building a house is WORK.
The second part of that verse makes the statement, …they labour in vain… Building a home takes work, whether we are trying to do it in our strength or in the Lord’s. Rearing godly children requires attentive training. Keeping a happy marriage demands purposeful effort. It is work worth doing that, with God’s guidance, can be absolutely rewarding. However, it is still hard work.
Without the Lord, that work is in vain.
What a sobering thought! All the work that goes into building a home could be in vain if I, not God, am the one building it. Conversely, if we do allow God to build our home, God makes us a promise. The end of I Corinthians 15:58 says, …forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. We can have the confidence that building in the Lord, while it may be work, will never be in vain.
Trust God during the construction.
In Psalm 127:2, we see that, It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. It should be said that God is not advocating laziness in this verse. The Proverbs 31 woman was up early preparing food for her household. Other verses throughout the Bible teach us to seek God early. God never advocates for idleness. Therefore, in this passage, He is reminding us not to worry. Whether the worry keeps us up late or wakes us up early, we instead should be trusting God with the things we cannot handle. He calls our worry …vain…; it is vain to think our worry will accomplish anything helpful. It only steals from the time God has given us to rest, leaving us too tired to do our best on the construction site! I have a tendency to worry about things, especially in regard to my children. However, when I remember Who is supposed to be building my home, I can rest in the confidence that whatever He brings into their lives is His will and that He will protect my family when I cannot.
God wants us to have happy, Spirit-led homes, but the only way we can accomplish this is to let Him do the building. Yes, it will be work, but we have the best Foreman on the job to lead the way. We must be willing to trust His blueprints—the Bible—and follow His perfect instructions. When we trust the Builder, we can construct the strongest home possible with His help.
by Vicki Voorhis
