Building in Vain

Highway bridge to nowhere in downtown Capetown. 

Scripture:

Psa. 127:0   A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon.

¹ Unless the LORD builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the LORD guards the city,

the guard keeps watch in vain.

² It is in vain that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

for he gives sleep to his beloved.

Observation:

This beautiful song of ascent comes from the time of Solomon and probably refers to the incredible temple which he built to God. It is an acknowledgement that the temple, or the house, is entirely dependent upon the LORD. Work can be done, but without God’s leading and direction it may become aimless. Some may say that this psalm speaks against laboring, which is not the case. It has to do with the way in which the labor is completed. We are to rest in the Lord, but we can rest and labor at the same time. The opposite of rest isn’t work, but rather it’s restlessness. 

Working when we are frenzied and restless will not result in the finished product of God’s house. That process requires time and good planning so that the entire house can be built to the glory of God. A completed house is God’s gift, as is a guarded city. 

The people praised God with this psalm as, step by step, climbing the road to Jerusalem, they remembered their entire dependence upon God. 

Application:

Last weekend I was in Capetown, South Africa. Just outside my hotel window I spied a highway that seemed to go nowhere. It’s called the Foreshore Freeway Bridge, and it’s known as the ’unfinished highway.’ This road was planned in the 1960’s and started in the 1970’s. This work came to an abrupt halt in 1977. “As a result, several urban legends have surfaced over the years. One is that the design team had made a calculation error resulting in the two ends failing to link up. Another was that construction was halted due to a disgruntled shop owner who refused to sell his property that stood where the flyover would pass. However, the official explanation to date is that the city had run out of money with traffic numbers at the time not justifying its continuation and the project had to be abandoned.” (Wiki, to read more click here) Whatever the reason, it’s now 41 years later and the unfinished project still stands as a possible monument to ‘building in vain.’

The LORD is still in the business of building the house, or the church today. We are to be dependent upon God for this work, trusting entirely that the needs are to be met. We are to labor together with God so that the labor is not in vain, and God has the blueprints for the project. When God is involved the pieces will all fit together, from beginning to end. I’m not necessarily talking about a physical church building, but about the living stones that make up the church. 

It’s far too easy to become restless and become ‘busy’ doing God’s work. God invites us to regular rest, a night of sleep free from anxiety. This is God’s work, not ours. The psalm ends by talking about the blessing of children. Children are a gift from God and just as they are a gift, so is the Lord’s house. Let’s run from the temptation to build on our own. We need to slow down and rest, because in God’s timing, it will be completed and it will be done correctly. If not, we just may build and embarrassing bridge to nowhere. 

It’s when we think that God needs us to do this work that we begin to build in vain. We start the bridge, but somewhere along the way there will come an abrupt halt. The resources may dry up, the plans may not come together, or a stubborn soul just may stand in the way. The most significant thing we can do is to place all our trust in God. Let God roll out the plan, and then come alongside in restful labor, helping to bring the work to completion. In the end, God will be glorified. 

Prayer:

Lord, I don’t want to build in vain, but to trust in you, day by day, and step by step. Amen.