WHOSE HOUSE? GOD’S HOUSE
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Opening Prayer
Father, remind me that as you rested on the seventh day so I too should rest. Help me to rest in ways that enable me to enjoy you and appreciate all you have given me.
Read PSALM 127
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Psalm 127
A song of ascents. Of Solomon.
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.
2 In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to[a] those he loves.
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.
Footnotes
- Psalm 127:2 Or eat— / for while they sleep he provides for
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
How easy is it for you to trust God for the results in any project when things seem to be running amuck?
This psalm is attributed to Solomon, the king who built the Temple of the Lord.1 The temple would be the central place for the people of God, even the center point of the universe, as the meeting point between heaven and earth. If anyone could be accused for thinking that the building was the main focus, it would be Solomon. He poured so much time, people, and resources into the physical structure of the temple: it would have been an awe-inspiring sight in its day. Solomon displays in this psalm, however, that at the end of the day, without the presence and activity of God, it is just a building.
There is of course a balance to strike between working hard and overworking, between trusting God and passivity. The psalmist reminds us that even if we work hard, we are to remember that if our work prospers, it is a gift from the Lord: if it does not prosper, we still have the Lord as our inheritance. In the same way, we can work hard to invest in the lives of the children around us, but we need to remember that if there is spiritual fruit, it is the gift of God. If we cannot perceive any spiritual fruit, the children are still his gift to us. Without this perspective, the result of our work becomes a source of pride for us or will be the main factor deciding our well-being. Without this perspective, we will be fearful about the future of our children. When we see work and children as gifts from the Lord and we trust that he is at work and will ultimately bring about his purposes, we can rest and enjoy his gifts.
Apply
Spend time giving the work of your hands and the children in your lives to the Lord.
Closing prayer
Lord God, remind me always that you have provided the work I see before me and are the one who accomplishes its purposes. Keep me from wrongful pride in my accomplishments and from fear when I am not seeing the results I want.
1 1 Kings 6
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