Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” – Luke 2:49
As I’ve been meditating on Psalm 127 it hit me: This means we are to be about our Father’s business.
Let me explain.
I’m a real simpleton in thinking. I need the Spirit to explain things to me a lot! Like a child I find myself asking my Father things like, “What does that mean!?” ALL THE TIME!!
As I wrote in my 5th installment of We’re Builders, I realized that Psalm 127 teaches me to trust God and not be anxious about how my kids are going to turn out, or if they’ll know the Lord because I can’t do anything to ensure how they’ll turn out or if they’ll know the Lord UNLESS God is doing a work in their lives. I can’t “build the house” unless the Lord is building the house.
But I’ve continued asking my Father questions about this passage this past week. One of the questions is, “What’s my role then!? If I can’t build unless Your building, how can I be sure Your building and what am I suppose to be doing?”
Maybe to many of you wise women of the Word this answer is more obvious, but to my pea-brain it’s not. In the everyday interactions of life how am I suppose to be about building up my house for God’s glory through training and raising my children if it’s all dependent upon whether God is building, training and raising them in their hearts and spirits? Am I suppose to try and dig deep into the heart issues of my 3 and 5 year old or am I to not concern myself with that at all since it’s only God who can truly “build” them? These are my questions.
Like I said it hit me the other day. I’m not sure where I was, maybe in the shower, but I heard, “It’s being about your Father’s business Sheila.” In that split second I got it! I understood a bit of the mystery of how God empowers and allows mere men (and women) to do HIS work.
Think about that, God partners with man. It’s HIS work, He is the strength, apart from Him it will not be accomplished, but He choose to let those who trust Him participate in His divine work. Wow! And, Oh my goodness!!!!
And the other thing He spoke to my heart in that moment was, “It’s more than being used. I used a donkey. I’ve used hard-hearted Pharaoh. I used King Nebuchadnezzar. Being used by Me is not the key or point. I can use anything, I even use the devil to ultimately prove the faith of my children and to work all things for good for those who love Me and are called by Me for My purposes. Don’t just desire to be used by Me Sheila, desire to KNOW ME! Knowing Me is the point.”
God is working with a very weak human here and He’s doing it to prove His might. He’s also alluring me to leave being used for being known and knowing Him.
Being builders as women means being intimate with God, knowing Him, and participating in His divine work- doing our Father’s business of building up lives for His glory. As we make homes wherever we are, serving and loving those in our lives, as we train and teach and labor in prayer for those God’s entrusted to our care as our own children (whether they are ours or not- they belong to the Lord) leading them to Christ, we participate in a divine work. A work that could not be done apart from God, and a work God chooses to do THROUGH us!
What a calling! What a privilege! What a responsibility! To be about our Father’s business!
Oh Daddy! Help me! Give me wisdom and cover me with Your mercy and grace. If You aren’t revealing Yourself to my children and to others who are in my life nothing I say or do will mean a thing. But since You’ve called me to this I’m trusting that You are “behind the scenes.” I trust You are digging into the deep issues of the heart with my children and husband and I’ll leave those things to You. Help me to do my part in loving and serving them, and in training the children.
Sheila Dougal 
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