Our Firm Foundation
When Helen and I married, we chose as our wedding march the hymn, “How Firm A Foundation”. We were full of hope as we looked forward to a life together, yet we knew that our success in life and marriage was dependent on the foundation that we stood on. The first verse of this hymn begins like this:
“How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord.
Is laid for your faith on His excellent Word.
What more can He say than to you He hath said.
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled.”
When I looked at my 19 year old bride coming down the aisle, I did not know all that we would face together, but I did know that I wanted to live with her the rest of my life. I wanted a foundation that would support a 60+ year marriage.
When Helen was a little girl, she prayed that the man she would marry would love God more than he loved her and my prayer, after I gave my life to Christ was, “Lord, I want to serve You the rest of my life and I only want to marry the woman with whom I can so this best.” We both recognized that our life was not our own. Our marriage was not about us. We had a divine purpose to fulfill together. We wanted to build our “house” on the Rock, so that all our days would be fruitful, purposeful and stable.
Another hymn that has meant a lot to us in our marriage and family is: “The Solid Rock”. Some of the lines of this song go like this: “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand … My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness”. Storms are a part of life and serve to reveal our foundation and the quality of our building material. The Word says that all that can be shaken will be shaken, so that what is eternal will remain. Build your life on the Word, which is Jesus, the Rock and you will not be shaken.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Psalms 92:12-15; 18:2; 119:81; Mat. 7:24; 16:18; Heb. 12:26-29