scripture and prayer reflection
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Lyrics
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in his excellent Word
What more can he say than to you he hath said
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed
For I am thy God and will still give you aid
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand
Omnipotent hand
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply
The flames shall not hurt thee, I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine
The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to his foes
That soul, though all hell
should endeavor to shake
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake
I never, no never, no never forsake
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake
I never, no never, no never forsake
Luke 6:47-49
47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Isaiah 41:9-10, 13
9 You whom I took from the ends of the earth,
and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
10 fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
13 For I, the Lord your God,
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
I am the one who helps you.”
Reflection
When things start to go wrong, my first impulse is to jump into problem-solving mode. I think through possibilities, play out possible solutions in my head, and tend to rely on myself - my skills, my ingenuity, my strengths - to make things work. If all else fails, I call my dad for help.
This is an appropriate parallel for many of us in our spiritual lives. We largely rely on ourselves to make things work with God. Sure, we acknowledge that God saved us when we were helpless, but there is a pull to live as though after that it’s up to us to be good enough. Our temptation is to only ask for help when we’re stuck, or find ourselves in a pinch.
But God has not built a solid foundation for us in Christ and walked away, leaving us to fend for ourselves - He Himself is the foundation. What I rarely do when things start to go wrong is to pause and ask God what He might be up to in whatever is happening. I know that He uses all things, both good and bad, for His purposes in our lives, so you’d think this would be a natural question to ask when I encounter difficulties. But somehow instead I jump to problem-solving.
What if we called our heavenly Dad first, instead of as a last resort? To talk to Him about what He thinks about the mess at hand? It’s not my steadiness that grounds me and holds me fast, it’s God’s. He didn’t build us a foundation only to make us build the house on our own - He is the one building that too. We get to be involved in the process, to pour out our effort with Him. After all, the wise man who built his house on the rock is the one who hears and does what God says. But God is still the one who is ultimately in charge of what is built, and how.
Take some time to reflect on your life. What is your go-to response when trouble hits? Why do you think we are so prone to self-reliance? If you’re prone to jump to either problem-solving or despairing, how could you remind yourself to look to God first? To ask for His help right away? What difference does it make that He never leaves or forsakes you, even if the worst is happening to and around you? Spend some time talking with God about what comes up.
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