God Builds The House

Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Psalm 127:1-2

OUR WORLD HAS many building projects, many bustling cities. Technology allows everything—computers, smartphones, tablets—to move faster and everyone to be connected and to communicate through the Internet. Everywhere you look, you see what seems to be growth and progress.

Yet this race toward progress has caused much calamity as well. As we become more connected to cyberspace, we find it more difficult to unplug and take part in “real” life. The more opportunities we have to work, the harder it is to stop working and rest. As our technology improves, so do our weapons—people find new ways to attack and enslave other people, while nations invent new ways to strike against other nations.

This should remind us that progress and advancement are good—but only when seen in the light of God’s ultimate provision. Human striving can provide temporary benefits, but it can also produce long-term destruction. Only by conforming our efforts to God’s will and God’s plan will our frantic efforts construct anything worthwhile. That’s one of God’s promises in this passage: that he can prevent our work from being wasted.

But there’s another promise that we should find even sweeter—that “God gives rest to his loved ones.” God didn’t wire us to be 24/7 automatons. And in the midst of others’ constantly spinning and analyzing and producing in their own strength, he has promised to give us rest and balance, because we can trust him with the results.