“A Warning About Building”

by: Dr. Garry Roberts, Jr.

Psalm 127:1-2

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it, except the Lord keep the city the watchman waketh, but in vain.  It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrow: for so He giveth his beloved sleep.

On March 15, 2018, at 1:45 p.m., a pedestrian bridge collapsed at Florida International University, killing a construction worker and five motorists who were waiting at the traffic light underneath the bridge. The bridge was intended to provide a safe passage for students to avoid the busy roadway while walking to and from campus. Yet, structural deficiencies during the third stage of construction and negligence contributed to the fatal collapse. It is intriguing that the bridge was built with an honorable intention, but crumbled because it was not erected with structural integrity. This catastrophe is a sober reminder that anything constructed by human hands is subject to malfunction, errors, and decay.

We are all building something. People build families, careers, and resources for retirement. Furthermore, some diligently work to rebuild things in their lives that have been fractured or even completely torn down. Some are laboring to rebuild a relationship that has fallen apart or a reputation that has been destroyed as the result of a moral failure. Whatever the case may be, it is imperative that we are mindful of the way we build or rebuild. In Psalm 127, the psalmist issues a sober warning. He essentially says that if what we are striving to build is going to be strong, sturdy, and stable then we must seek God’s assistance because without Him our efforts are futile.

In verse 1 of Psalm 127, the Psalmist emphatically declares that we must ensure God is the one superintending our life’s work. Before we make plans for what we desire to build and before we collect the materials for building “it,” we must look to God for approval and the blueprint. Ask God for guidance regarding what you will build and for prudence as to how to construct it.

Moreover, in verse 2, he admonishes us to also ensure God is the one safeguarding our work. God may enable us to build a city, which is made of many houses and buildings and we may even have armed guards watching over it, but if God is not on guard the city is unprotected. The message of this verse can currently be seen in what is going on in our country. So much effort and intention has been put into preventing mass shootings, terrorist attacks, crime, etc., yet those efforts have failed because if God is not the one defending what we are striving to build then it is all in vain. It’s too difficult to build it and guard it simultaneously. Let God superintend and safeguard your life’s work.

In verse 2, the psalmist closes with a precious promise. When we allow God to superintend and safeguard our work then He will support our work. The psalmist points out that there are persons who get up early, stay up late, and eat food that should provide nourishment to them, still they remain in a miserable state. Nonetheless, when God is a part of what we are building, He will give us favor, enable us to work less, get more accomplished, and rest because He is the one superintending, safeguarding, and supporting our work.

In Genesis 11, the Babel builders sought to build a city and a tower that would reach the heavens. They had the desire, unity, and resources, but they did not have God’s approval. Therefore, He confused their language and scattered them across the earth and their efforts proved to be nothing more than wasted energy. Conversely, when Solomon prepared to build the Lord a temple, God made heathens help him build and also enabled him to build himself a palace. When God is it in, He will grace you with the provisions to build it.

Don’t allow your life’s work to become an abandoned construction zone that is filled with things that you’ve spent all your energy trying to erect, yet they remain unfinished. Seek God’s approval and His assistance. One writer said, “Great things have been erected by ambitious men, but like the baseless fabric of a vision they have passed away, and not even a stone remains to tell where they stood.”  

Be Encouraged,

Dr. Garry Roberts, Jr.
Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church
Edna, TX