Unless...

During the last two weeks I have become engrossed in a book series: Psalms, An Expositional Commentary, by James Montgomery Boice. It is a three-volume set and well worth the investment of time and money.

I was particularly struck by much of what Boice wrote about Psalm 127, the first half of which reads as following:

Unless the Lord builds the house
its builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchmen stand guard in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat -
for he grants sleep to those he loves.

Boice contends that this Psalm (along with Psalm 72) were the only ones written by Solomon, son of David. Apparently there is some disagreement in scholarly circles about this, but I think Boice makes a convincing case. He cites the the similar theme of vanity here in the beginning of Psalm 127 and also in Ecclesiastes. Most readers will remember the frequently used words of 'vanity' and 'meaninglessness,' in Solomon's other work. "Vanity of vanities... All is vanity!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

But here is the lesson for us today, from Boice's thoughts on this Psalm:

"Useless! Meaningless! In Vain! Is everything meaningless? Yes - if we leave God out of the picture. Building is useless - unless the Lord builds the house. Precautions are useless - unless the Lord watches over the city. Unless the Lord blesses our work, unless the Lord blesses our family, our Herculean labors are in vain. They are not in vain if God is in what we are doing."

Oh that we would remember to pray that the Lord would be involved in all our endeavors, our loves, our plans, our lives. What blessings would follow!