My Mummy Meditation verse this week has been tinged with sadness - the verse I chose was one that I read when we were buying this house, one that I prayed over my new house in the excitement that this was the house the Lord had built for me and my family (and if you don't know the full story of my train related drama, do read the latest update here) and so it brings me confusion now.  It also came to me at the start of this week when the builders on our half finished estate have started to take down scaffolding and actually STOP building (when there are still at least 15 half built houses that need finishing).  What does that mean?!  Have they been building in vain?

 "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labour in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain" Psalm 127:1

 There are three things that have jumped out to me whilst I have been meditating on this verse this week (and crying slightly as I see my beautiful estate and the hope of it ever being finished slipping away)

 -Partnership with God is essential - I think the KEY thing this verse tells us (and is not just about building houses or churches or manual labour in general) is that whatever we do, we need to do it in partnership with God.  We need to seek his direction in it and pray over it so that God is with us in our work and in our endeavours.  This may sound really obvious in some things, but think about it for everything.  This week I have just had my sons letter to apply for school and I need to try to remember to partner with God when I make that decision for Sam's future.
-Fighting the right way - your energy and work might be totally wasted if you don't think to fight in the right way.  It might all be energy used in vain.  We recently watched the film "War Room" as part of our ladies night at church.  It is a great film to encourage and inspire you in your prayer life and also reminded me that it is important to first fight through prayer and to let God do the other stuff.  I am taking this to heart at the moment in a fight where I can't do that much, but I can lift up the situation in prayer to God.
-Be the gatekeeper - this image of the guard over the city has really come back to me this week.  We should prayerfully be the guards and gatekeepers of our estates and streets.  This means that we make sure nothing comes past us as the gatekeepers, that we are praying about everything that happens there and making sure nothing dark enters.   Maybe if we took this role more seriously then our estates would be blessed beyond measure and people would start to ask why!
The builders on my estate had been building in vain, not knowing that this huge impending news of HS2 coming on to bulldoze it would occur.  But we don't have to live like this.  We can build something worthwhile and important by making sure we partner with God, build and fight in the right way and step up to be Gatekeepers in our local communities.  If we do this then nothing can bulldoze what we build and nothing can plunder what God protects.  

 NEXT WEEK:

I want to carry on in Psalm 127 this week and look at this verse, so please do join me!

 "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him"  Psalm 127:3 

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