Psalm 127

Even before I saw the title, "of Solomon",   I thought that this psalm resembled Ecclesiastes.

Echos of vanity......
   Life is meaningless when undertaken without trust and dependence on God.  
   Family, community, and efforts to even earn a living are fruitless.......
 unless the Lord is in it.

'House' here can refer to an actual structure or to the family.  The city represents community.
Overwork and anxiousness regarding material gain is fruitless.     Enjoy the gift of sleep and rest granted by God.  It is a gift.  

All of our best efforts in any area are really fruitless if done without God's guidance and submission to His plan.  "We can't take it with us when we go," rings in my head.  I recall psalm 17.......The worldly may indeed be blessed with provisions by God, but when they die, that is it.....their hope ends.  Their descendants get what is left and may or may not do well with it.  But for the one who trusts God,  'wants' and 'needs' are distinguished.  God provides for all of our needs, and He knows so much better than we do exactly what we do need.  Our hope goes beyond death to eternity.

Children are also gifts from God.  In Biblical times, children were the means of support of the elderly.....especially widows and orphans.  To have many children was indeed a blessing!

So many things went through my head regarding this psalm!
How do we measure up in today's culture of severely limiting family numbers, or even not wanting children at all?   What would God say to us about that?     What about our culture of hurry and scurry, overwork and stress to provide more than what our family really needs......both parents working full time and children being overseen by others who are doing the same thing?  (Not condemning anyone who does this.....just pondering how it all fits into God's economy)

Evidence of God not building the house/community/providing provision for the future?
    Divorce. Broken families outnumbering those that are not.  Poverty/homelessness.  Wars. Legal battles galore.  Bankruptcy and debt  (personal and national!), etc., etc.

God help us.  

So thankful to be able to rest knowing that He is sovereign, I am His, and that will not change.