365 Days of the Great Names of God, Day 72: Builder

Builder

"Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything." (Hebrews 3:4 NIV)

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself” (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity).

I've been captivated by this quote from C.S. Lewis ever since I ran across it a few years ago. When God brought it back onto my radar the other day, I knew exactly which of His names I wanted to pair it with. I find it to be a fascinating expansion of this verse from Psalm 127:1: "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain."

I don't want my labor to be in vain. I don't want it to be for nothing. I want it to count. I want it to make a lasting difference. I want to cooperate with God in laying a firm foundation for myself and my family.

So, build me into a living house, O Master Builder. Rearrange me. Knock down walls that aren't really holding anything up. Rip off wallpaper that's outlived its beauty. Come and live in me. Make Yourself at home. Make Yourself my home.