Psalm 127:1-5 Rewards of Being a Father

Mark Twain’s best known remark is always worth repeating: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”

This psalm, which was written by Solomon is about the journey of a man. This is about the journey of a man who has a family. In this psalm, or song, we learn from Solomon what it means to be a father. Solomon shares with us three distinct rewards that comes with fatherhood.

REWARD #1: A vibrant spiritual walk will provide guidance for my family. (127:1)

“Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.” (Psalm 127:1, HCSB)

This is the reward of a “praying father”

Solomon was well aware of the need to depend upon God. He knew very well that without God, all of what we do is meaningless. For some of us men, it is hard to depend upon God. We still struggle to be the right kind of spiritual leader for our family.

Sanctus Real lead guitarist Chris Rohman told NewReleaseTuesday the story behind this song “Lead Me”: “Our lead singer, Matt Hammitt, had most of the song written. It was written after Matt and his wife had a pretty gut-wrenching conversation, where she told him that she needed him to be a better spiritual leader to her and their family. It rocked Matt’s world. They’re the ones that have been married the longest in the band. They’ve been married longer than I have. They already have two daughters and they’re expecting their third child right now. Matt said that he found it humbling that his wife would have the courage to say something like that out of love. Secondly, he realized that he had to do something about it. There was no way around it. We don’t believe in divorce. There were some things they had to work on to keep that open dialogue between the two of them, so that they could admit problems and work through them. That’s where the song came from.

The idea is actually at least a year and a half old. We had a rough idea of the song because he had a demo, but it got put in the pile. The president of our record label somehow found the song before we completely finished the record and said, ‘Something is going on with that song. I think it could really be turned into something special if you guys finish it.’ Until he said that, we hadn’t even entertained the thought of putting the song on the record. When we went in the studio to finish the song with this writer from Nashville, the story came together perfectly. The song is kind of a father’s prayer for his family and wife. It’s an honest cry out to God saying, ‘If I’m going to lead my family, I need You to lead me.’ I can say this because I didn’t have a lot to do with it. [Laughs.] I hope that hearing the story behind the song, and what went into writing it, will touch a lot of lives. It’s a powerful song!”

God gives me guidance on how to lead my family when I kneel before Him in prayer.

REWARD #2: A restful sleep and provision for my family comes by how smart and hard I work. (127:2)

“In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food— yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.” (Psalm 127:2, HCSB)

This is the reward of a “working father”

Even in this changing world, the father is the one who is expected to work and provide for the family. The picture on the handout reminds me of the many times when my dad was tired from working real hard shift work in the industrial chemical plants in Texas City. He worked hard to provide for his family. I think it is something all fathers should strive to do is work hard for their families.

God gives me rest when I work hard for my family.

REWARD #3: A lasting heritage for my family comes by how I raise my children. (127:3-5) 

“Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, children, a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth. Happy is the man who has filled his quiver with them. Such men will never be put to shame when they speak with their enemies at the city gate.” (Psalm 127:3–5, HCSB)

This is the reward of a “present father”

Too many fathers are absent. Some father want to produce babies, but not sons.
Steve Farrar, in his book Standing Tall, tells the story about Dr. Robert Schuller, the founding pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, California. He explains:

Dr. Robert Schuller was on a whirlwind book promotion tour, visiting eight cities in four days. It was exhausting work in addition to his normal duties as pastor of a large church. As Schuller reviewed his schedule with his secretary, she reminded him that he was scheduled to have lunch with the winner of a charity raffle. Schuller was suddenly sobered when he found out the winner of the raffle, for he happened to know that the$500 the person had bid to have lunch with him represented that person’s entire life savings. The winner was his own teenage daughter.

God gives me a lasting heritage through my children’s lives when I invest in their lives today.

Have you honored your father today? Dads have you given your children reason to honor you? Being a father can be rewarding. It begins with me following my Heavenly Father, and then sharing what I learn and applying it with my own family. God honors those dads who honor Him. He rewards those who follow Him.