The House He’s Building

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.

Psalm 127:1

Years ago, before Josh McDowell was the well-known speaker and author he is today, he joined the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ. He was sent to the ministry headquarters at Arrowhead Springs in California and received his first assignment: washing the floors in the lobby of the former resort hotel. He thought he was going to be working with the ministry’s leaders, and instead he was relegated to watching them walk by as he scrubbed the floors they walked on. Later, he said it was one of the most important lessons he ever learned: it takes preparation to be used by God.

Moses learned that lesson, spending forty years in the Midian wilderness as a shepherd before leading his countrymen out of Egypt. Jesus spent forty days in the Judean wilderness before beginning his public ministry. Difficult periods of preparation are God’s way of saying, “Only I know what you need to know to be successful. Trust Me.” The psalmist said, “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

If you’re going through a difficult time right now, trust the Lord. The house He is building (you) needs whatever you’re learning as you wait on Him.

A season of suffering is a small price to pay for a clear view of God.

MAX LUCADO