When the Lord Builds
Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.
Psalm 127:1 (CSB)
The foundation of life governs the warmth and spirit of our hearts. It sets the stage for how our lives are shaped. By allowing the Lord to establish our lives on His foundation, we dedicate ourselves to His kingdom and face the temptations that aim to divert us from Him. Psalm 127 reminds us that we must let the Lord construct our lives.
The Lord Builds. The Lord shapes our lives according to His perfect timing. Too often, we try to dictate the rhythm and pace of our lives. As children of God, we must recognize that His timing is flawless and specific. We can find peace in God’s timing because He is the creator of time and operates beyond its constraints. While the Lord builds our lives, we should remember that His construction follows His timeline, which is independent of our own.
Similar to time, the Lord does not adhere to our way of building. He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (ever-present), and omnipotent (all-powerful). We organize our life's journey with our imperfect, self-centered, and frail selves. In contrast, God's very essence contradicts these influences, and the Lord shapes our lives in a way that surpasses our comprehension—flawless and always aligned with His will, methods, and Word.
The blueprints of development in our lives serve to bring glory to Him. The Lord designs our lives to make His name known. As we seek to share His name, we cultivate a heart of servanthood grounded in a proper understanding of who God is and our own limitations. Therefore, we live in a way that consistently reflects praise and worship. We aim to recognize the greatness and holiness of God, allowing Him to shape us as His servants and instruments of praise.
Let The Lord Build. The New Testament reinforces Psalm 127 and highlights three truths about allowing the Lord to shape our lives. First, the apostle Paul states that God’s children are the temple (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Psalm 127 was intended to reflect the building of the temple. David understood that the Lord would fulfill the temple's construction in His own timing and manner. While David would not witness the temple's completion, he played a crucial role in its preparation. We are the temple, and the Holy Spirit works within us. We must permit the Lord to mold us as His temple through His Word, presence, and guidance.
Secondly, we need to let Christ serve as our foundation, upon which the Lord builds our lives. Near the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shared a parable about two people who built houses. One built their house on sand while the other chose rock as their foundation. The contrasting foundations determined their capacity to endure storms. Jesus emphasized that we should permit the Lord to establish our lives on Christ as the foundation (Matthew 7:24-27).
Third, we serve for God’s glory. We serve the Lord as we grow in knowledge of the Lord and develop a deeper and more intimate relationship with Him. As we grow spiritually, we develop discernment and display the fruit of righteousness. Philippians 1:9-11 points us to the truth of developing and growing in this heart of servanthood.
QUESTIONS
What is the foundation of your life?
How are you allowing the Lord to build your life?
