I have inherited the practice of reading through the entire Bible from my mother. She used to read through the Bible once a year every year. It takes me longer than a year because I can’t seem to absorb much of the meaning from scripture if I set out to read a prescribed amount each time. I have also discovered that there are certain portions of the Old Testament that are not particularly good if you are trying to find devotional type material just by reading through the Bible book by book. So, I have turned to the hymnal as a source of devotional inspiration. I like to find a hymn to read and meditate on before I begin my Bible reading.
A few days ago I read through the hymn, “How Firm a Foundation”*and found the words to that hymn quite uplifting
. The first verse says;
1 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, who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
Notice there is an exclamation point at the end of the first phrase. The song writer is not asking how firm a foundation the saints have, but rather states that we have a firm foundation for our faith built on the excellent Word of God. The next phrase is a rhetorical question and the answer is, there is nothing more that needs to be added to the assurance we have when we go to Jesus our Savior for refuge.
The second verse says; 2 "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 gracious, omnipotent hand."
The second verse gives details of the assurance we find in God’s excellent Word. God tells us we need not fear nor be dismayed for He is our God and He promises to help us. He will give us strength and hold us up with His gracious hand. A gracious hand that gives us His help and His blessings that we do not deserve and a hand that is all powerful.
When so much in our world has changed over the last few months, I find great comfort in knowing we have a firm, unchanging foundation and a loving heavenly Father who promises to be there for us no matter what. So, no matter what the world may throw at you this week, stand firm in your faith that the God of the universe knows exactly where you are and knows exactly what you need and if you are committed to Him, He will stand with you and give you all the help you need.
*As far as I could find, this hymn first appeared in a hymnal printed in 1787. The only note concerning the author is “K” and no one seems to know who “K” was.
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