How Firm A Foundation
08/10/07 15:10
When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee;
I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
This is not a message we want to hear. It calls for courage that we do not have, and faith that we may have, but do not want to test. Yet we know that being a servant of the Lord is not always easy; it is not always comfortable. In Gods' Word, we are told that no challenge will be placed before us that we cannot accomplish with God's support. And yet, we worry. We worry about things we can't control, and ignore things we can.
It is much easier to worry about things beyond our control. We are clearly in our comfort zone worrying about the weather, worrying about the state of our society, worrying about politics in countries we will never visit with people we will never know, worrying about what crimes and accidents may someday happen to us.
But what happens when we worry about things we can control, things we can influence? We can be very slow to act. Well outside our comfort zone, we await pretty specific instructions from God before we proceed. Maybe if we are slow enough to act, the situation will resolve itself, or simply go away. But…
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 thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
Can we really trust God? Can we really not trust God!? The last verse of this hymn is sometimes misunderstood as being sung from the human point-of-view. That is, something we would say to God, as in "I will never desert you, God". While I am sure God appreciates this, the fact is that the words are meant to be from the Lord to us, to his children who are serving Him, to his people that are responding to his call.
"The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake!"
Dear Lord,
We know, we know you will not forsake us in our moment of need. We know you will not call us to any purpose that you can not help us fulfill. Give us the courage and confidence that we need to exercise and strengthen the faith that we have. You have given us our directions, and we know just How Firm A Foundation we have in your holy word.
Amen.
Copyright 2007 Robert K. Lindsey - All Rights Reserved.
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee;
I only design thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
This is not a message we want to hear. It calls for courage that we do not have, and faith that we may have, but do not want to test. Yet we know that being a servant of the Lord is not always easy; it is not always comfortable. In Gods' Word, we are told that no challenge will be placed before us that we cannot accomplish with God's support. And yet, we worry. We worry about things we can't control, and ignore things we can.
It is much easier to worry about things beyond our control. We are clearly in our comfort zone worrying about the weather, worrying about the state of our society, worrying about politics in countries we will never visit with people we will never know, worrying about what crimes and accidents may someday happen to us.
But what happens when we worry about things we can control, things we can influence? We can be very slow to act. Well outside our comfort zone, we await pretty specific instructions from God before we proceed. Maybe if we are slow enough to act, the situation will resolve itself, or simply go away. But…
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 thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."
Can we really trust God? Can we really not trust God!? The last verse of this hymn is sometimes misunderstood as being sung from the human point-of-view. That is, something we would say to God, as in "I will never desert you, God". While I am sure God appreciates this, the fact is that the words are meant to be from the Lord to us, to his children who are serving Him, to his people that are responding to his call.
"The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake!"
Dear Lord,
We know, we know you will not forsake us in our moment of need. We know you will not call us to any purpose that you can not help us fulfill. Give us the courage and confidence that we need to exercise and strengthen the faith that we have. You have given us our directions, and we know just How Firm A Foundation we have in your holy word.
Amen.
Copyright 2007 Robert K. Lindsey - All Rights Reserved.