When sorrows like sea billows roll
On the road marked with suffering
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
When darkness veils His lovely face
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death
Through many dangers, toils and snares
HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION
I was asked to share a few devotional thoughts at the Emergency Disaster Services training this past week and to focus these thoughts primarily on the current events of our world that remain (if slightly) focused on the tragedy in Haiti.
The timing is interesting (and of course by “interesting” I mean providential!), as I’ve been reading through the book of Job, as I had been since before the earthquake in Haiti occurred. It’s where I was/am at in my read-the-Bible-in-a-year-reading plan. That righteous man crying out for answers, having to endure listening to supposedly well-meaning, wise friends speak into his hurt and pain.
Also during this time, I struggle as I witness dear friends and family suffer through serious health issues, crumbling marriages and waffling faith. And I can confidently say that each and every one of you has your own list of pains, struggles, frustrations hurt. None of which are any more or less as real or painful than the literal hurts and losses that is roaring through Haiti. Pain is pain regardless of its form. We all stand at our own vantage point, with our own perspectives.
The common theme or question that connects all of this is the age old question – why do bad things happen, or, more theologically, why does GOD allow or cause bad things to happen.
Let me start by saying – no, I don’t have an ultimate, solve-the-eternal-question answer! Sorry… But as I sat and pondered the question, reflected over scripture and conversations I’ve had with Christians and non-Christians alike, words kept popping into my head. Various lines from various hymns, songs and choruses. I am a very musical person, and believe that if ever a movie would be made of my life it would be in the form of a musical…! Often for me, Truth is spoken more loudly to my heart and soul when in the form of a song.
I noted a few lines from various songs at the beginning. Some were from contemporary worship songs, others hymns. I am a Gen-Xer so I find some value and appreciation in the contemporary worship movement. I am also, however, a daughter of the Church, having grown up in it and studied it, and therefore have a deep appreciation for church history – including its Hymns. Too often, in my opinion, contemporary worship fails to master as well the deep theological truths the old hymns capture so beautifully. So I wanted to reflect on one song in particular, because I believe so many answers to the question of what to do when bad things happen can be found in this one hymn alone.
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?
The very first sermon I ever wrote was on Lamentations chapter 3. After 2 and a half chapters of the author quite literally ranting and raving at GOD, blaming Him as the author of all the horrific and monstrous things that have happened to him and his people, the author writes this: “But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him!” When we can look back at the ways God has been faithful not only to us but to those who have gone before us in the faith, we can have hope –HE’S DONE IT BEFORE, HE’LL DO IT AGAIN!
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed. For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid!
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, upheld by my gracious omnipotent hand.
Notice this verse does not say: I will still solve all your problems; I will strengthen thee so you can teach everyone else a lesson; help you to overcome to be number one; or even I will pull you up OUT of what you’re going through completely. He says he will strengthen and help us to cause us to stand because – verses three and four:
When through the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of grief shall not thee overflow,
For I will be with thee thy trials to bless, and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
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.
There is PURPOSE in it all. Again, while He does not promise to always deliver us out of any given situation, he does promise to not only be with us through it, but to USE it. At the end of the day, I would much rather believe that there is a God who causes/allows these crazy things to happen and that there is purpose in it all – even if I never find out what in my lifetime - than to not believe in any God at all and therefore none of it have any purpose. There’s a hope in that – purpose.
Do you remember the sort of a-ha! moment you had at some point on your journey to adulthood – when you thought back on your childhood and wondered why in the world your parents were so gung ho about you keeping your room clean (or, choose your example. Something else your parents made you do that you just hated to do and seemed to have absolutely no purpose to whatsoever?). But then, as you reached adulthood and were in your very own first place and you wanted your house to be clean… ooooooooohh, THAT’S why they wanted me to do that. It may be a simple silly example, but think back on any struggle that you made it through. On the other end of the struggle, down the road at the face of the next one, how much more prepared were you to face that new struggle? God is about the purpose of refining us. Sometimes in big ways, sometimes in small ways – BUT ALL WITH A PURPOSE.
And finally, the beauty in the final verse:
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I WILL NOT desert to its foes.
That soul though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, NO NEVER, NO NEVER forsake.
Three times it’s promised – He will never forsake. Hell is knocking on your door; it’s knocking on your brother’s door; your friend’s door; your co-worker’s door, and it is shaking. Hard.
HE WILL NOT FORSAKE – FOR HE HAS A PURPOSE
CLING TO THAT
THERE IS HOPE THERE
Thoughts by: Elissa Hamon
