Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.”
NL Daily Devotion for Monday, January 19, 2026
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I live in a rental townhome with my adult children and my partner of two years. (And a cat and a parakeet) I love living here, and when I moved in back in February of 2023, I wanted to make sure it was a place of peace and comfort, and filled with expressions of my love for my family and the world. I decorated it with photos of my kids, parents, siblings, friends, some simple wall decorations, and countless frogs. (Well, I could probably count them but it might take me a while—I adore frogs). I have a home which is simple, free of clutter, and truly a place I want to be.
But my efforts to create a home are all secondary to those of God, who is most responsible for “building the house.” It was God who walked with me through the challenges of my divorce. God who provided work with which to support myself. God who led me to the physical space I now call home. In these and innumerable other ways, God has built and continues to build my “house.”
How do I see my life as having been built by God?
