How Firm a Foundation

May 6, 2010

At first appearance the title to that great hymn seems to be a question but it is clearly an exclamation. The first sentence of that great hymn says, “How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word! Notice the punctuation, the exclamation point, at the end of the sentence. His word is a solid foundation for our faith. Therefore, we exclaim with jubilant joy, “Our faith, our trust and our hope is in the Lord, Jesus Christ.”

After the events of May 1 and 2, that song has a new meaning for me. The area where I live in middle Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, was hard hit by heavy rains all day Saturday and Sunday. As much as sixteen inches of rain have been reported in some areas. Nashville recorded a record rainfall amount of over thirteen and a half inches in the two day period. The result has been widespread flooding. The damage has been very widespread with thousands of homes under water. Many homes near us have been completely destroyed; their foundations literally washed out from under them. Electric and phone service is still out for hundreds of thousands. Many streets, highways and freeways remain blocked and traffic is snarled everywhere, stranding thousands of motorists. Shelters have been set up everywhere to help those who are stranded.

Human suffering is great as this area is populated by about two million people. Many people have lost everything they had. Many thousands of homes have either been totally destroyed or severely damaged and will take months to make them livable again. The cost to repair damage to buildings, houses, streets, highways and bridges will run into the billions of dollars.

In times like these, everyone needs a firm foundation of faith for their souls; something that gives them peace in the midst of the storm. Only Jesus can give that kind of peace. He is our foundation on which our faith holds firm. We, who have committed our lives to him, have learned to draw peace from his comforting word. We are not being reckless or blind to what is going on around us but we have learned that he can be trusted to keep his word. After over forty years of trusting him, he still proves to be trustworthy. He has kept us safe while many storms have passed by.

The above song is inspired by Isaiah 41:10 and 43:2 which says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” He didn’t promise we would not pass trough the flood or through the fire. He did promise us he would be with us and that is what gives us a deep settled peace in our soul.

He is there when we trust him. We will not suffer alone and he has promised he will bring us through it. He will bless us with his presence in our deepest distress. Our fiery trials are designed to refine our gold and remove the dross from our lives. The refining process deepens our resolve; our anchor holds firm and we trust him more. He gives us peace in the midst of the storm.

We have an anchor that keeps the soul steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the rock which can not move; grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love.

Priscilla J. Owens