HE’S BUILDING A BUILDING

Recently I sat across the street from a huge building project in our nation’s capital. From the ground level it just looked like a huge twist of steel and concrete, but from the window of my fourth story hotel room, I began to see more. Workers, technicians and tradesmen were scurrying about; each one using his or her level of expertise to move the project toward completion. It was a beehive of activity everywhere you looked. There were the construction workers who hooked the needed steel bars to a chain above their heads and there were the steel workers who were welding and screwing them in place. Atop them all, towering high above the activity was a gigantic crane that moved the steel beams and everything else to its intended destination.  It was like a cornucopia of people, from the construction manager who appeared to be barking orders to everyone else, to the workers who were busy cleaning up the unimaginable mess that is left in the aftermath of a construction zone. Everyone had a place and everyone played a part. It was like a little community working together to make something useful out of many pieces that by themselves were pretty useless.

 I was in the middle of my quiet time when I sensed that there was a word that Papa had for me about this “pre-building”. So I turned my chair so I could see and sat in the relative silence of my room. As I watched the construction I noticed that some areas in the building were far more finished than others.  And I began questioning the practice of moving ahead to a much farther degree in some places when other areas were so far behind. And Papa God  spoke to my heart and said “Sandy, this building is indicative of your own life. You have some places that are advanced and well-appointed and others places where you are just at the beginning stages. And this is acceptable; for I am using your life’s circumstances, your relationships and the time you spend in My presence to build you into a habitation that is fitly framed for Me, a place that My glory can shine forth from. Though you feel a sense of discouragement over the places that are at beginning stages, you must know and trust that I, your eternal Architect am still in charge and I will fulfill all in My time.”

I got very quiet and I sat in the hotel, watching the flurry of activity and I wondered how this profusion of steel, brick, concrete and wood would ever be something useful, functional or attractive. I wondered about the building but I also pondered about the beauty or the lack thereof in my own life. But the precious Holy Spirit reminded of Philippians 1:6 “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”  And the dim bulb finally came on! Who began this faith walk anyway????  It was He who at the tender age on nine had powerfully called me to accompany Him on this journey and since He initiated it...He was entirely invested and completely faithful to do all the work in me that was needed. So He who began it was ready, willing and very able to bring it to completion! Halleluiah!!!

And the same is true for you! Perhaps today you have places in the construction site of your life that are well established and have been and are being used to showcase your heavenly Architect-then praise God for those strong places! But what about those places where you are just at the beginning stages? You know the places that seem sooooo far behind your areas of strength? I’m talking about those nagging areas that always seem to slow you down or trip you up. Enter…the GOOD news!>>> Please know that for every facet of your life that has not been developed fully, it is still under the care and jurisdiction of the One who not only functions as the all-seeing Architect who drafted the vast and detailed blueprint of your life, but He is also the foreman who sees to it that everything gets accomplished correctly and on time!

It’s not about pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps or through our own efforts making ourselves into what He wants us to be…it is He who has the passion, the wisdom and the ability to fashion and form us into a proper dwelling place for His Spirit and His glory and grace! (Ephesians 2:20-23) And He who called us to this journey is more than faithful! Our job is to surrender to His workings and trust in His loving heart. HE’S BUILDING A BUILDING and we are it!  

Father,
Our lives are such a construction zone! We have areas where we have been built up in You, but we also have places where little work has been done. We need You heavenly Architect to construct in us all that Your heart and perfect plan dictate. We are thankful that because of your great love You created a beautiful blueprint and a plan to build us into a temple where Your great glory, mercy and love can shine through. We praise You Lord that You who have begun this work in us will be completely faithful to keep working, to keep building us until You present us faultless before the very throne of God! Today we choose to trust in Your workings and in Your loving, active faithfulness to us. We are Yours, please keep building us! Amen.