“Except the LORD build the house, they labour 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 sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep.” Psalm 127:1–2
Is there someone who has been trying to build, but alone? Is there someone who has tried hard in getting up early and sitting up late and still failed?
Millions of Christians are building a house of faith, which will fall in the end. They build it alone. They build it upon the foundation of sand. They build it from cheap material that will not stand the test. Therefore, the great question is: Am I building alone or is the Lord building with me?
In the time of the flood, eight souls were building with the Lord. Their building saved them while the rest of the world perished. There is a danger that we think that the Lord is building with us, while we have been struggling alone and failing—sadly failing. However, at the same time, with the Lord there is no possibility of failing.
That fact that there may be a chance of failing makes us afraid and causes us to worry. Often our fears are unnecessary, and it is because we do not trust God. It may be that we are not sure that He will save us or help us. The cause for this fear is lack of faith because we do not trust God completely. We are then afraid that He will not help us in our troubles.
Therefore, we are often afraid for no reason. If the Lord is with us, we have no reason to fear. When the children of Israel left Egypt, they were afraid that the Egyptian army would come to fight them and take them back into captivity.
Was there a reason for their fear? “And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. And the waters returned, and covered the chariots, and the horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them; there remained not so much as one of them.” Exodus 14:13–14, 28. God had promised that He would protect them and save them from their enemies, and He proved that there was no reason to fear.
Were they afraid of getting sick on the way and not being able to travel? “He brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.” Psalm 105:37. Throughout their journey, again God protected them against sickness. No one was to be left behind because they did not have the strength to travel.
What about the fear that their clothes would wear out during their journey? How would they be able to obtain new clothes, shoes, coats in the wilderness? “Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.” Deuteronomy 8:4. Not only did their clothes not wear out over the period of 40 years, but their feet did not get sore from all the walking they did.
They had the fear that they would not have anything to eat or drink in the wilderness. Daily the Lord provided food in the form of manna, and water from the rocks. In the dry, uninhabitable wilderness, the Lord provided for all their needs.
“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11. The Lord is as the sun, providing light and warmth. He is a shield, a protector. Not only does He provide for our material needs, He also provides for our spiritual needs by giving us grace, forgiveness, pardon, glory, honour, and greatness.
No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly. Do you believe this—that there is nothing that is good for us that He would withhold from us? Sometimes this is hard to believe. The only things that He withholds from us are things that would hurt us and spoil our chance of salvation.
David wrote about it in the Psalms. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” Psalm 23:6. “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.” Psalm 34:10
If they would lack even one good thing, the Bible could not say, “They shall not lack any good thing.” God’s promises are sure. Let us read a few more verses from Psalms. “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” Psalm 37:25. David spent years as a fugitive, yet he could say that God did not withhold any good thing from him. God provided him with all that he needed. “O satisfy us early with Thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14. He also provides us with continual happiness.
Now then, where does need, lack of good things, failures, sadness, and depression, come from? It may be that we have tried to build alone. Maybe we have travelled alone and therefore have failed. We, as God’s people, should be the happiest people in the world, always rejoicing, glad, overflowing with joy.
In the days of Ancient Israel, they failed. What caused it? “Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you. Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you.” Joshua 7:12–13
The children of Israel could not stand before their enemies until they removed the accursed things from among them. In the same way, in your life, if you have an idol, a sin, a wrong habit, you cannot stand before your enemy, Satan.
At another time, there were religious leaders who were fighting against the faithful children of God. “And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.” Acts 5:38–39. Without realizing it, the Jews took their stand against God and His people. Who is able to fight against the God almighty? No one. Yet, many try.
“And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the LORD looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians, And took off their chariot wheels, that they drave them heavily: so that the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the LORD fighteth for them against the Egyptians. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore.” Exodus 14:24–25, 30. Men and women today are fighting against the God of heaven. They become His enemies. We know that even Christians can often become enemies of God.
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity against God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4. How many Christians are seeking the friendship of the world? By doing so, they become enemies of God.
“But He giveth more grace. Wherefore He saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.” James 4:6. God rejects the proud. If there is pride in your heart, even spiritual pride, then the Lord is against you, resisting you. No human pride can stand before God. He fights against the proud; but the humble receives
grace and pardon.
“And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.” Matthew 10:14–15. The one who does not receive you is against God Himself.
Aaron and Miriam were fighting against God. And, what happened? Miriam became a leper, white as snow. “And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; And the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and He departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.” Numbers 12:1, 4, 7–10
God stood for His faithful servant Moses. Even though it was his brother and sister who were against him, God fought against them.
“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:3. Those who turn against the faithful servants of God will fight against God Himself.
Often we do not know what the cause is of God not being able to build with us. “Saying, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.” Luke 19:42
The Jewish people in the time of Jesus had no peace—no peace in the land. There was a reason why the Romans were allowed to come to oppress them. They had no peace in their hearts; they were troubled, worried, and afraid. They had no peace, and they did not know the reason for it. Yet there is always a reason. They lacked the peace that passes understanding, the perfect peace of Jesus. We all must have it and if we do not, there is a reason for it. When we do not know the reason, then we suffer, we are restless, anxious and careworn.
The answer is that we must go to the word of God. Is there something that we have neglected? “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” Psalm 32:10–11
“The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:17–19. Those who believe on the Lord will not live a life of ease, but if we are righteous, He will deliver us from our afflictions. This is a promise that is not given to the wicked.
“The Lord preserveth the strangers; He relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked He turneth upside down.” Psalm 146:9. The wicked will never have peace.
We learn from the Bible that Leah was hated, therefore the Lord blessed her above her sister Rachel. When men turn against us, the Lord will stand for us. We have nothing to worry about.
“Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.” Matthew 5:11–13. Have you had this experience? Have men spoken evil against you and reviled you? Instead of getting angry, Jesus says, rejoice and be exceeding glad.
“They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.” John 16:2. Should we be sad when this happens?
We have the answer in Luke. “Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” Luke 6:22–23
“The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: He gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” Psalm 147:2–3. Israel, in symbol is the church of God. If we build with the Lord, He will heal us from all our sorrows.
“A bruised reed shall He not break, and the smoking flax shall He not quench: He shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” Isaiah 42:3. The Lord will pass by the proud, self-important, self-righteous person but will look upon those with a contrite heart and with a broken spirit who have been wounded and bruised by others—those who have been rejected by society, those despised by others, the Lord will gather them together and save them.
What kind of people will fill the courts of heaven? “And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; For all things are now ready. And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. . . . So that servant came, and shewed his lord these things. Then the master of the house being angry said to his servant, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” Luke 14:17–18, 21. Those who the world sees as unworthy are the ones that the master invited to the supper.
The Lord is good to them that love Him. He will fight for His people; He will be their defense. He will comfort and bless them and fill their hearts with joy and peace. He is good, yet many cannot see it.
There was a blind boy whose eyesight was restored by an operation. When he could see for the first time, the sunshine, the flowers, the trees, he cried out, “it is beautiful.” And he said to his mother, “Why did you not tell me how beautiful it was?” She answered: “I tried, but you did not understand.” We try to tell people of the goodness of the Lord, but they cannot understand.
My friend, make sure that the Lord is with you, that He will build your house of faith. Do not refuse the invitation of Jesus. He says, “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28. You can have that perfect rest, the peace that no one can take away from you, and then you will be the happiest person in the world. Amen.
Adapted from a sermon by Timo Martin