Have you ever worked so hard to achieve a goal only to have it blow up in your face? You got that promotion only to realize that now you work twice as many hours per week. You married that great girl or guy and found out they weren't so great. You got that degree you have been wanting only to find out that there's almost no jobs available. These are examples of laboring in vain.
“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.
When we labor in vain it means that all of our efforts to do whatever we are doing will be fruitless because God has not built our house. We have not allowed the Lord to direct our paths.
Unless The Lord Builds The House
But how does the Lord build a house? This is obviously not referring to a literal house but a figurative one. The word house in Hebrew is, 'bayit', which has a whole range of meanings, from a literal house, to a home, to a state of mind. Creation itself is a house built by the creator. To have the life that God has planned for us we have to follow the Lord's direction and have His protection. Unless the Lord builds the house, our plans are for nothing.
The Lord Watches Over Us
Psalm 127:1 also talks about keeping what we already have. The guard that watches over our lives, and even our country, has to be God or we guard things in vain. It is God who protects us. It is God who guards us. The successes we have in our lives, building or guarding, are ultimately meaningless without God. "What does it profit a man," Jesus asks, "if he gains the whole world but loses his soul?" (Mark 8:36).
A Life Without God
Building a life without God is a frightening thing to think of. A marriage without God, children who don't serve God or careers without God, may succeed in a worldly way but are all destined to fail. True success is living a life that pleases the Father and fulfills His purpose for us, starting with acknowledging Him as Savior and Lord. Jesus is our perfect example of success. In John 17:4 when He prays to the Father, He says that He has "finished the work which you have given Me to do."
Building In Vain
There are signs that many young people today are building in vain. So many young people have abandoned the Christian faith or never had it to begin with. In 2019 Pew Research said that of older Americans over 80% say they are Christians while of those in their 20's, only about half claim to be Christians. Today's young people suffer staggering rates of depression and suicide. The rates seem to rise every year. If these statistics are true, it seems that a lot of young people may be laboring in vain to build their lives.
The builders of the Tower of Babel are examples of people who labored in vain. The Tower was an example of a seemingly wonderous structure. What could be so bad about building a tower that reaches to the Heavens? But God was not in it (Genesis 11) and so the nations were scattered. But what does it look like to build with God's direction?
Labor That Is Not In Vain
Noah built an ark for a rain that seemed to never come and went on to save humans and animals from total destruction. The reason is because God was in it. It was with His plan and direction that the ark was built (Genesis 6-8). Eric Liddell won an Olympic Medal in 1924 in running, but gave everything up to be a missionary in China where he would eventually die. This was God's plan for Eric Liddell's life.
God absolutely has a plan for each of us. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that even before Jeremiah was formed in the womb he was set apart as a prophet by God. David says in Psalm 139:16 that God had ordained all of his days before he was even born. Jeremiah was not set apart as a king like David, and David was not set apart as a prophet. Both tasks are honorable and in both, God could be served; but both Jeremiah and David had specific tasks that God had ordained for them.
Paul encourages us in 1 Corinthians 15:58 when he says that we should always abound in the work of the Lord. Abound means, “being abundant or plentiful, going beyond, or producing or existing in large quantities.” The reason is because that labor "is not in vain in the Lord." If our work is directed by God then it will not be in vain. Our path in life needs direction from God. In Proverbs 3:33 we are told that the home of the just is blessed by God. A blessed home is a life built by God and not by ourselves.
Wisdom Builds Our House
Psalm 24:3 speaks of wisdom and says that "by wisdom a house is built." Proverbs 9:10 says that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. To begin building our house, our lives, and not to build in vain, we need to acknowledge that we need the wisdom of God. We need to have a proper fear of the Lord.
We have to build and work diligently, but with the direction of God. As 2 Timothy 2:15 says,
"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
We may have some wonderful plans for our life, but if God has another plan for our life, then ours will not be successful. Our success is not measured in the ways the world measures success. We won't necessarily be wealthy. We won't necessarily lead a life of ease. Our success is different. God expects our success will be for His Kingdom. We have to pray and study the word to understand God's will. We need to pray for wisdom. We need to actively seek His guidance. If we don't, we will be building in vain.
God Directs Our Paths
Finally, in Proverbs 3:6 Solomon explains that if we acknowledge God in everything we do, "He shall direct your paths". Acknowledging God means submitting your whole life to Him, recognizing who He is and His authority over us. We trust God, knowing that He knows what is ultimately the best for us because He loves us, and He is always faithful and true. Who will direct your paths? Who will build your house? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! Amen and Hallelujah!
Enjoy the beautiful song, If the Lord Builds the House, by Hope Darst
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