The Songs We SIng: If the Lord Builds the House
The Songs We Sing: If the Lord Builds the House
There are some worship songs that do more than give us words to sing. They remind us how we want to live. This week, as we continue our The Songs We Sing series, I want to look at “If the Lord Builds the House” by Hope Darst.
Inspired by the truth of Psalm 127:1 and the declaration in Joshua 24:15, this song reminds us that the most meaningful things we build are the things we surrender to God.
And when I think about what it means to let the Lord build our house, I can't help but think about home.
Not just the walls and roof that keep the rain out, but the life happening inside those walls. The birthdays we celebrate, the conversations in the car, the laughter echoing from the backyard, and all the little moments that make up our days.
This week, we celebrated James' ninth birthday. It's hard to believe how quickly these years fly by! We also had a rare soccer bye week, with just one practice and no game. By Friday evening, I was completely exhausted and managed to sleep for ten straight hours—something I honestly can't remember doing in I don't know how long!
While I rested, Ken stepped up, as he always does. He and the boys were outside preparing for Isaiah 58, and I could hear laughter and screams drifting through the house. I'm pretty sure the boys had turned the evening into a game of flashlight tag. It was such an ordinary moment, but one that reminded me how much goodness can be found in the life we're building together.
The home we're building is about so much more than the life we're organizing. It's about the foundation we're choosing.
Joshua 24:15 says, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
I love how intentional that statement is. Joshua wasn't simply talking about attending a worship service or checking a box on a Sunday morning. He was making a declaration about the direction of his household. God would be at the center of their lives.
What would it look like if we made that same declaration over our homes, our workplaces, our friendships, and our everyday decisions? What if we measured success not only by what we accomplished, but by whether the things we were building reflected His heart?
I think sometimes we imagine that building something for God has to look extraordinary. We think of big ministries, huge acts of service, or moments that change someone's life forever.
But God does so much of His work in ordinary places.
He builds faithfulness through the examples we set. He builds kindness through small acts of service. He builds community when we show up for one another. And He builds a legacy when we teach the next generation what it looks like to love and follow Jesus.
That is what I love about the message of this song. It isn't simply about asking God to bless the things we've already decided to build. It's about inviting Him to be the Builder in the first place.
There is a difference between asking God to fit into our plans and allowing our plans to take shape around Him.
So this week, I want to leave you with a question: What are you building?
Maybe you're building a family, a career, a friendship, a ministry, or a new chapter of life. Whatever it is, you have an opportunity to invite God into it—not just as a guest, but as the foundation.
Because the most important thing we can build isn't a perfect life, an impressive reputation, or a picture-perfect home. It's a life rooted in Jesus, a home that serves Him, and a legacy that points others toward His goodness.
And that kind of building starts with a simple decision, made again and again in the everyday moments of our lives:
Lord, this is Yours. Build something beautiful with it.
A Prayer for the Week
Lord, thank You for the lives, families, relationships, and opportunities You've entrusted to us. Help us invite You into every part of our lives, not just the parts we consider spiritual. Build our homes on Your truth, shape our hearts to reflect Your love, and help us create a legacy of faith that reaches beyond us. May everything we build point back to You. Amen.
There are some worship songs that do more than give us words to sing. They remind us how we want to live. This week, as we continue our The Songs We Sing series, I want to look at “If the Lord Builds the House” by Hope Darst.
Inspired by the truth of Psalm 127:1 and the declaration in Joshua 24:15, this song reminds us that the most meaningful things we build are the things we surrender to God.
And when I think about what it means to let the Lord build our house, I can't help but think about home.
Not just the walls and roof that keep the rain out, but the life happening inside those walls. The birthdays we celebrate, the conversations in the car, the laughter echoing from the backyard, and all the little moments that make up our days.
This week, we celebrated James' ninth birthday. It's hard to believe how quickly these years fly by! We also had a rare soccer bye week, with just one practice and no game. By Friday evening, I was completely exhausted and managed to sleep for ten straight hours—something I honestly can't remember doing in I don't know how long!
While I rested, Ken stepped up, as he always does. He and the boys were outside preparing for Isaiah 58, and I could hear laughter and screams drifting through the house. I'm pretty sure the boys had turned the evening into a game of flashlight tag. It was such an ordinary moment, but one that reminded me how much goodness can be found in the life we're building together.
The home we're building is about so much more than the life we're organizing. It's about the foundation we're choosing.
Joshua 24:15 says, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
I love how intentional that statement is. Joshua wasn't simply talking about attending a worship service or checking a box on a Sunday morning. He was making a declaration about the direction of his household. God would be at the center of their lives.
What would it look like if we made that same declaration over our homes, our workplaces, our friendships, and our everyday decisions? What if we measured success not only by what we accomplished, but by whether the things we were building reflected His heart?
I think sometimes we imagine that building something for God has to look extraordinary. We think of big ministries, huge acts of service, or moments that change someone's life forever.
But God does so much of His work in ordinary places.
He builds faithfulness through the examples we set. He builds kindness through small acts of service. He builds community when we show up for one another. And He builds a legacy when we teach the next generation what it looks like to love and follow Jesus.
That is what I love about the message of this song. It isn't simply about asking God to bless the things we've already decided to build. It's about inviting Him to be the Builder in the first place.
There is a difference between asking God to fit into our plans and allowing our plans to take shape around Him.
So this week, I want to leave you with a question: What are you building?
Maybe you're building a family, a career, a friendship, a ministry, or a new chapter of life. Whatever it is, you have an opportunity to invite God into it—not just as a guest, but as the foundation.
Because the most important thing we can build isn't a perfect life, an impressive reputation, or a picture-perfect home. It's a life rooted in Jesus, a home that serves Him, and a legacy that points others toward His goodness.
And that kind of building starts with a simple decision, made again and again in the everyday moments of our lives:
Lord, this is Yours. Build something beautiful with it.
A Prayer for the Week
Lord, thank You for the lives, families, relationships, and opportunities You've entrusted to us. Help us invite You into every part of our lives, not just the parts we consider spiritual. Build our homes on Your truth, shape our hearts to reflect Your love, and help us create a legacy of faith that reaches beyond us. May everything we build point back to You. Amen.
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