Whose House Are You Building?

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”—Psalm 127:1a

Last time, I talked about how planning is useless unless the Lord is the one who is behind our plans. This is likewise true in the home.

As a parent, what does it mean for me to let the Lord build my house? We all know that raising children takes a lot of effort and work. I certainly don’t want to invest for nothing! I want my labor to have some positive outcome.

So what are some things we need to remember as we seek to establish our households for God?

Remember Where You’re Headed

Psalm 127 is a psalm of ascent. Many commentators believe that it was sung as the people made their way to Jerusalem during their annual feasts. Some think they may also have been sung as they made their great journey back home from exile in Babylon. This road was not always safe as hecklers taunted or bandits prowled from the sidelines.

This context reminds us that we too are en route—to our eternal home. This world is not our final destination. And this is critical to remember as we build our homes.

Where are you headed? Have you made this world your home or are your eyes fixed on your eternal home? How might this focus shift your perspective, values, and choices as you live here?

“Unless the LORD”

There is no doubt that we are to build and protect our homes. We are to be actively working at it. It certainly isn’t going to happen by magic nor is God simply going to drop it in our laps.

But one tendency we often have is that we think the building, the protecting is up to us. We have the mistaken view that unless I do X or we blame ourselves when things go badly that because I didn’t do Y, that we won’t have Z.

Verse 1 makes it clear that while we are to do the work of building and protecting, it is ultimately God who is working through us. Unless we remember this, all the work we do is in vain (verse 2).

How does this truth help keep your role as a parent in focus? What freedom does it give you? How does it redefine your role and responsibilities?

A Proper View of Children

Children are not trophies to display. They are not our caregivers in our old age. We cannot look to them to give us the love that is missing in our marriage.

Verse 3 tells us that children are meant to be viewed as a blessing from the Lord—not something we deserve or earn. There is value in every child, even if they are disabled or disappointing. Every conception is a miracle of God, and His desire is to bless the parents.

Not only that, children are meant to be an asset. I find it interesting that the imagery used in verses 4 and 5 equate them to a quiver of arrows that a warrior carries into battle. If this road is not through safe territory, the family unit is a fearsome weapon as we walk together through it.

As parents, our very great responsibility is to raise up arrows to send out into the next generation. They are precious to God, of very great value. Every child we invest in, whether biological, adopted, or spiritual, is meant to be sent out to build up God’s kingdom.

Whose kingdom are you sending your children out to build? How will you equip them to build up God’s Kingdom? What can you start with today, right where you are at?

Being Kingdom Parents

As parents, God calls us to love Him above all (Deut. 6:5). One way we express this love in our home is by taking seriously the call to deeply entrench His Word in our own hearts first (Deut. 6:6). When we have meditated and memorized Scripture, we are then able to impart it at any time of day, where we are (Deut. 6:7). This provides the grid through which our children see life (Deut. 6:8-9) as they make their way through this world.

As parents, it is vital to remember the Story we are living in for it shapes our destination. The “house” we are building is not merely our own, but God’s house, His kingdom. Our work as parents here is to raise up sons for that Kingdom, not our own.

Remembering this changes everything about how we view parenting. Is the Lord building your house to prepare and equip your children for His eternal home?