Читать книгу Admiring and Applauding God - R. Bruce Stevens - Страница 42

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

—Ps 127:1

• Picture a vigilant watchman pacing the ramparts of ancient Jerusalem, scanning the horizon for any hint of the enemy’s approach. Regardless of how alert he is or how quickly he sounds the alarm, the city will fall unless the Lord has determined that it will stand.

• Unless God says so, it will be impossible for any city to stand—or fall. Even if the enemy is strong and has superior forces, it will not prevail without God’s permission.

• Praise God, the watchman of the city of our lives. Our confidence is in him for safety and protection. Of course we are to watch our lives closely (1 Tim 4:16 tells us, “Watch your life and your doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers”), but ultimately our trust is in God and his ability to keep us and our loved ones from all harm.

• Let the truth of this verse saturate our minds today: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31b). If God is not for us, it doesn’t matter who is for us.