Psalm 127

God’s Blessings in the Home

1 Unless the Lord builds the house,

    those who build it labor in vain.

Unless the Lord guards the city,

    the guard keeps watch in vain.

2 It is in vain that you rise up early

    and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

    for he gives sleep to his beloved.

3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,

    the fruit of the womb a reward.

4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

    are the sons of one’s youth.

5 Happy is the man who has

    his quiver full of them.

He shall not be put to shame

    when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Reflection:
Psalm 127 is the eighth of the Songs of Ascent and reminds us that God is the ultimate reason for everything. God not only cares about what happens to us when we die but about all aspects of our lives. Having a nice house may be part of the American dream, but it does not necessarily fulfill the will of God. Having a crime free neighborhood does little good if we have nothing to live for except our possessions, and making a living means nothing if we do not know what life is all about. Even our families can become a means of idolatry if we seek to love our family at the expense of loving God.

C.S. Lewis reminded us of the wisdom of this psalm when he said that God is our first and most sacred love; when we love our earthy dearests at the cost of loving God then we will actually find ourselves loving our family less. But when we love God first, our secondary love for our family is actually enhanced rather than diminished. Simply put, God is the reason we love others, work hard, and fight against injustice. If we remove the ultimate purpose of our life then we will find ourselves wandering aimlessly.

Closing Prayer:
God, our first and most sacred love, we’re so grateful for the ways that we are so intimately bound to you. You are the very reason we are able to love at all. Forgive us when we make your love secondary, and guide our love back to you. Amen.