Daily Reflections on Ps. 127(I'm Hiring a New Builder)

Whenever you're building a new house or even remodeling an old one, having the right general contractor is crucial. If you want things to go well, be built well and in a timely manner, you better have a person who really knows what they are doing or you could suffer the consequences for a long time. Cheap isn't always better. Just because a guy can talk fast and make things sound good, doesn't mean you're getting the best deal in the long run.

Some contractors take short cuts or use cheap material or labor to insure their pockets are lined with profit. But those same steps aren't in your best interest. As the old adage goes, "Pay me now or pay me later." Use inexpensive substitutes and more than likely it will cost you more in the long run. When building a new home, you want to make sure it lasts, doesn't fall apart, or leak. Rush jobs, inexperienced laborers, inferior materials, short cuts always lead to a less than desirable outcome.

Solomon in Psalm 127 makes a poignant statement that many ignore. When he talks about letting the Lord build the house, he's not talking about an actual house. But his point is well taken. You want a master builder to build your house. You don't want Joe Fly-by-night in charge of building your dream home. Solomon is really talking about our lives. Unless we allow God to build into our lives, to guide us, direct us, protect us we're going to have a less than desirable result. More often than not, things are going to fall apart, especially if we face a major storm.

Many today draw their world view, philosophy of living, values from the world or their peers or even from their own personal desires. The problem is that when we hire those to build our house, we are in fact hiring Joe Fly-by-night. Expect your house to crumble at the first sign of stress on it. And since life is full of stressors, you can expect your house to be under constant duress.

God, I know sometimes I want to hire cheap substitutes to work on my place. I'm listening to all the wrong advice. I find myself constantly trying to do patch jobs on the messes I've made. I need you to remodel me. I've screwed it up in the past. I should have listened to you all along. Tear out the old stuff that's falling apart. Remake, rebuild me, my house the way that you want it built.