“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.”
(Isaiah 43:2 ESV)
Our Need for a Solid Foundation
New construction must begin upon a solid foundation.
At the beginning of a new year, new month, new week, new season, we may find ourselves looking forward to fresh starts and new beginnings. We are eagerly setting goals and making resolutions.
Others of us arrive at the start of a new season feeling more discouragement than hope. We are weary and not sure how to move forward.
Whatever our vision for the future, it is important to begin considering, what is our foundation? What are we building our lives upon?
A Hymn to Remind Us What to Build Our Lives Upon
“How Firm a Foundation“ is a familiar hymn from the 18th century, but like most early hymns it was written first as poetry and then set to a familiar melody. One of the unique features of this hymn is that it is written as God speaking directly to us.
This hymn is a catalog of allusions to Scripture. It finds its own foundation in Isaiah 43, but borrows images and ideas from both the Old and New Testaments.
As you read this hymn, hear your heavenly Father speaking to you from his excellent Word, beckoning you to make a relationship with him the foundation of your life. If you have fled to God’s Son Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, and believed his Word, God promises his love to be your sure foundation for all of life, including this next season.
“How Firm a Foundation, Ye Saint of the Lord”
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,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled? (Psalm 18:2, 91:2, 2 Corinthians 6:2)Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed; (Isaiah 43:5)
I, I am your God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous omnipotent hand. (Psalm 54:4, Hebrews 13:6)When through the deep waters I call thee to go, (Isaiah 43:2, also an allusion to Exodus 14:21-30)
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I shall be with thee, your troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. (Romans 8:28)When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, (Isaiah 43:2, also an allusion to Daniel 3:16-28)
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. (Isaiah 1:25-26, 1 Peter 1:7)E’en down to old age, all my people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne. (John 10:11, Hebrews 13:20)The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, (allusion to the apostle John 13:23)
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, (1 Peter 5:8)
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake. (2 Samuel 22:36, Psalm 18:35, Hebrews 13:6)(Author Uncertain, attributed to “K”, first published in John Rippon’s A Selection of Hymns, 1787)
Reflection on the Hymn
As you read these words, take a moment to reflect. When has God come to your aid, or held you up with his good and powerful hand? Recall the trials that you have experienced. How has God made you more holy through them, and how has he used them to refine your character and your trust in him?
This habit of looking backward helps us to look forward with expectancy and hope. We can lean on our Heavenly Father trusting that, whatever our circumstances, he will never, no never, desert us. In him our future is secure.
Prayer: Father, you are our helper, our protector, and our guide through whatever we encounter in the coming year. Let us never forget that we have found refuge in Christ, the only sure foundation, and that our souls can only rest in him. You will never, no never, forsake us. Our future is secure because its foundation is firmly rooted in your work and your character. Thank you, Father, for that security. Amen.