Proverbs 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.”
There’s a lot of talk these days about “infrastructure” in our country. It refers basically to the physical systems needed for a government to run smoothly. Safe bridges and roads, adequate power grids, sewer systems and up-to-date communication networks provide the foundation that enables everything else to function.
But what about you? How’s your spiritual infrastructure? Maybe you’re experiencing some potholes in your faith. Or the power of the Holy Spirit needs a bit more amperage. Perhaps you’ve let some unforgiveness or disappointment clog up pipelines purposed to carry life-giving waters.
Infrastructures—whether physical or spiritual—share a common problem. They often grab our attention after a crisis occurs.
When we accepted Christ, we entered into the most radical transaction known to man. God himself came to dwell in us (Galatians 2:20). He wants to turn us into palaces, not cottages, as C.S. Lewis writes. But it can be painful at times to stay within the confines of his blueprint. We let down our guard and open the window to seemingly harmless compromises. We stop maintaining the “systems” for a variety of reasons until devotion to God gets squeezed out. And that’s when the infrastructure starts taking a hit.
Solomon said unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain. Maybe the first step in repairing our infrastructure comes in remembering He’s both the builder and sustainer, not us. When we start to take pride in our moral goodness and works, we lose sight that the foundation of the whole house rests on grace. In fact, our house would not even be in existence were it not for grace! And it certainly can’t withstand the turbulence of spiritual warfare without it.
So if you find your “infrastructure” in need of repair, don’t wait for the house to collapse. If you realize you’ve grown out of grace and are groaning under the weight of self-sufficiency, ask God to patch up those cracks. Don’t let yourself become worn down by the winds of compromise and by neglecting spiritual disciplines. Return to the blueprints. You will rediscover all the resources you need to fulfill God’s plan and become a habitation for his glory.