Psalm 127 If God doesn’t help us, we’re lost!
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.
“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.
It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.
Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.”
This symbol is the Gye Nyame Adinkra symbol, one of the most popular Adinkra symbols in all Ghana. “Gye Nyame” is Twi for “except God,” or “unless God” and is a symbol of the fact that all of us are reliant on God.
““Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.” When the Twin Towers were erected in New York City, they were hailed as architectural marvels; yet, strikes by two fuel-laden airplanes caused both of them to implode and collapse. Fire fighters are now warning people in America that the fire-retardant materials previously used in construction have been cheapened and weakened. Thirty years ago, those in a house fire had about 17 minutes to escape; now that time has shrunk to 3-4 minutes, and the Red Cross states it’s actually only 2 minutes.
Even as security systems proliferate, plans to evade or disable those systems continue to keep pace as well. There’s a slogan on small Ghanaian buses that reads “Nowhere cool!” Truly, no place is truly secure.
There have been all kinds of doomsday plots for attacking major cities, including destroying or contaminating the water supply, spreading anthrax spores in the air, and other vile schemes. Consider the fact that railroads carrying hazardous materials travel through the heart of most American cities. An accident with such materials could devastate a huge area within moments.
“It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.” This quote from Randy Armstead says it all. Worrying takes away peace without taking away troubles. Psalm 37:8 tells us, “Refrain from anger and abandon wrath; do not fret—it can only bring harm.” All that worry does is to constrict the blood vessels to our hearts, cause increased acidity and stomach irritation, and reduce our bodies’ abilities to fend off infections.
Psalm 4:8 tells us, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.” When we are worried, we can claim this promise, leave our worries to the Lord, and go to sleep!
“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates.” In Bible times, men congregated at the city gates, where leaders would sit to give judgements and opinions and men would do business deals. If a man could appear in these gatherings accompanied by bright industrious sons, his status as a man of substance would be assured. Not only could such a man confront his accusers, but his sons could also speak on his behalf, confounding accusers. Even a humble man would garner respect when accompanied by several handsome articulate sons.
But what if a man is unfortunate enough not to have fathered sons? Or what about a man whose sons have died or whose sons live at a distance? Some men have such a strong fatherly nature that they attract young men hungry for father figures. None of our children live with us in Ghana; yet, my husband has many young men who view him as a father. These young men visit us when they can and maintain close communications with us. We are truly blessed by the care these young men offer us.
May God bless each of you, so that you can trust God, sleep soundly, and be blessed by loving young people!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust that You know our needs better than we do. Help us to stop worrying and leave our cares in Your Hands. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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