Temples Not Towers with Hope Darst
What the Lord builds stands firm
When Hope Darst, Christian worship leader, musician and songwriter, chatted with Family Life Radio she reflected on the chaos of the last couple of years and, like so many others, found herself reflecting on her life and questioning her priorities.
“I was asking God,” Hope explained, “What priorities I have that are wrong? What do You want to come in and kind of rewrite or undo? Or what am I doing that maybe I thought was You, but isn’t You?”
While she was asking God to search her heart and draw out any misplaced priorities that were not initiated by Him, the Lord led Hope to Genesis 11. The Tower of Babel was a familiar story. She knew it well. This time she looked at it with new eyes and saw what God was showing her.
Hope remembered, “I just couldn’t shake this part where the king tells all the people, ‘Let us go and build a tower to make our names great’ (Genesis 11:4). Basically, there’d be glory for our names.”
“This thing in my spirit felt like the Lord said,
‘Hope, I have a lot of people building towers and not enough people being temples.’
“Because the truth of the matter is we’re called living temples that host the glory of God, that hold the presence of God in everything that we do to make His name great.”
The apostle Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (ESV).
As believers, we are called to honor God in all aspects of our lives, recognizing that our bodies and souls are sacred dwelling places for the Holy Spirit.
This led Hope to write the song, “If the Lord Builds the House.”
Hope explained, “If the Lord builds the house, nobody can tear it down. Because if there’s a tower that’s not built on God’s name, ultimately, He has to tear it down. Just like He did with the Tower of Babel.”
Hope described her desire to have a posture that if there are things in her life that are “towers” she wants God to tear them down. He gets to be the Master Builder of the things He initiates. Speaking to God, Hope declared,
“I want You to come and build my life, and I want to build my life on You.”
“Those are the things that remain,” Hope said. “They stand firm. And nobody can tear those things down. Even if it feels like, in the natural [world], your life falls apart. My house burned down when I was in my twenties. In the natural [world] things can fall apart. Marriage can fall apart. A job can fall apart.”
“You can feel like the house falls apart. But there’s a house in our souls and in our hearts and minds that is a firm thing when it’s built on the Lord.”
In Joshua 24:15, Joshua makes a strong declaration, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (ESV).
Hope sensed she wanted to proclaim, as a mom in the faith, not just as a worship leader, a songwriter and a mom, and not just to her kids, but to another generation,
“Hey, pay attention to how you’re building and make sure that the Lord is building your house so that it can stand firm no matter what.”
“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain” (Psalm 127:1 ESV).
We must yield to God’s craftsmanship, allowing Him to shape our character, relationships and endeavors according to His perfect plan.
Isaiah 28:16 is a comforting promise: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic” (NIV).
Your faith and trust in God provides an unwavering anchor, enabling you to stand firm when everything else seems to crumble. Even when your earthly home or external circumstances may falter, the spiritual house built on the Lord will endure.
As Hope’s song, “If the Lord Builds the House” says,
I’ve built up my own name
But the walls couldn’t stand.
I’ve trusted my own strength
But it was sinking sand.
So I put my ruins into Your hands
And watch You restore them
Like only You can.
‘Cause if the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down.
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down.
When it’s built on His name
There’s nothing gonna shake this ground.
If the Lord builds the house
Nobody can tear it down.
If you choose not to be anxious about anything, you can live a supernatural life.
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