The following verse, from "A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon," is one of my favorite verses in the bible. I have quoted it in speaking to myself many times in my life.
"Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain." (Psalm 127: 1)
The verse tells us something about success, about accomplishment, about victory. It is similar to the verse at the head that says "victory (or safety in kjv) is of the Lord."
God's blessing is essential to any enterprise. Without him we can do nothing. In fact, all that is built is God's building, even though we do the building. I have built houses and other buildings and I was heard to say "I built that," but really, it was God who built it through me.
I also know what it means to "labor in vain," to build when the Lord was not blessing the building, or not the one doing the building.
We can substitute many other words for those given in the text (build, guard, stays awake), so as to say
- except the Lord does the preaching the preacher preaches in vain
- except the Lord does the teaching or writing the teacher writes in vain
- except the Lord keep you safe your safety precautions are in vain
God's blessings upon our labors and endeavors are essential for real and lasting success. All the labors and endeavors of unblessed men and women are in vain.
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