THE VERSE
Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.~Psalm 127:1
THE THOUGHT
Proverbs 19:21 states unequivocally, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.” With the stark truth of God’s absolute sovereignty unavoidable in Scripture, how can we live and work and strive gladly under His omnipotent rule without succumbing to faithless fatalism? What does such a life look like?It looks like Nehemiah, who worked diligently with a complete dependence on God. In the face of dangerous enemies, he took Psalm 127 to heart: “And we prayed to our God, and set a guard as protection. Nehemiah knew that unless the Lord watches over a city, all his guards and plans were futile, but that didn’t mean his work was irrelevant. Such a life looks like Paul, who humbly wrote of his ministry, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth... for we are God’s fellow workers.” God is pleased to use means to accomplish His ends, and His wisdom, He invites us to be co-laborers for His kingdom, working for an outcome that only He can provide.
So what does this look like for us? It means we save for rainy days, knowing that unless the Lord sustains us, our saving is in vain. We go to the doctor, knowing that unless the Lord heals us, all our medicine is in vain. We buy the insurance, knowing that unless the Lord protects us, we protect ourselves in vain. It means we avail ourselves of all the grace God has provided through earthly security, all the while looking beyond these temporary things to our true Security, who pleads before the throne on our behalf.
THE PRAYER
Lord, Help me to trust You throughout life’s sun and storms, clinging to You as my only hope and Rock. Thank you for Your sovereign, sustaining presence in my life. Thank you for saving me, protecting me, upholding me, and filling each morning with a thousand new mercies. Thank you for the many ways You have broken into my life with staggering faithfulness and provision. And thank you for the uncommon grace of doctors, savings accounts, home insurance, medicine, and a million other ways You shout Your love to a deaf world. Give me ears to hear, and eyes to see, Your great love for me.EXTENDED READING
Psalm 127:1-2Nehemiah 4:7-9
1 Corinthians 3:5-9
1 Timothy 4:4-5
THE QUOTE
“God, out of the pattern of His own heart, has planted the Cross along the road of holy obedience.” ~Thomas KellyTHROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Nehemiah 6Proverbs 11:1-14
Luke 17:1-10
2 Timothy 2:1-13
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