FAITH OR FUTILITY

Psalms 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.”

In Edinburgh, Scotland, the city seal reads in Latin, “Nisi Dominus Frusta”, or “Without the Lord, Frustration.” This motto appears on all city documents. Both of these sayings ought to be inscribed where we work.

To this motto we add, “Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain.” Benjamin Franklin quoted the opening words of Psalm 127 in a challenge to the Continental Congress, adding, “Do we imagine that we no longer need God’s assistance? The longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men…without his concurring aid we shall proceed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel.”

Solomon, the author of this psalm, did some building of his own. He built the Temple in Jerusalem. Psalm 127 reflects his observations about the vanity of life apart from God. He knew that, without the right priorities, his work was in vain. Unless God blesses our efforts, unless he is a part of what we’re doing, our labor is worthless. All of life is meaningless—if we leave God out of the picture. We have choices: faith or futility; self-reliance or trust in God. Self-reliance ends in despair, while trusting the architect of our home leads us to find purpose and meaning in our lives and livelihood.

The focus of Psalm 127 is on people, not things. Our relationships, how we touch the lives of others, is infinitely more significant that the possessions we accumulate. Nonetheless, people drive themselves to exhaustion, then wonder why. Or they give up, figuring “What’s the use?” God wants to make our work meaningful—he gives us job satisfaction. We can go to work on Monday morning with eager anticipation, if we’ve taken the time to consider how Biblical values ought to impact our work. We are successful in God’s eyes when we labor for his glory, and by his strength. This may take some restructuring of our priorities. God wants us to trust him for promotion, for job security, and for a sense of accomplishment. He also wants us to become sensitive to the spiritual needs of those around us.

Paul gives similar counsel in Colossians 3 “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward and the Master you are serving is Christ.”

We are a success-driven society. Sadly, some people climb up the ladder of success only to discover they’re on the wrong ladder. Success Inc. magazine conducted a survey called “What Workers Want”. Under the category of success, they asked, “Which one of the following would most give you the feeling of success in your life?” The number one answer, with 62%, was “Happy family life.” Money, prestige, and fame, all came in with meager numbers. That’s encouraging, but now we need to live those values.

We should heed this “Song of Solomon.” Things fall into place when we have the right priorities. If we try to “build the house” we will fail. When the Lord does the building, we’ll be able to “contend” with anything and everything.