Verse 1:
How firm a foundation you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Verse 2:
“Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed,
for I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.
Verse 5:
The soul that on Jesus has 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!”

In looking for favorite, classic hymns I tend to struggle more with the vast array of choices in front of me. Not a bad problem to have, mind you. How Firm a Foundation is a particularly special hymn to me as we sang it at our wedding, but I also feel it is one of those which, if we truly grasped the meaning behind the simple lyrics, could change our lives in some pretty amazing ways.

First, it is important to understand the structure of this hymn. The first verse is an introduction of sorts which lays out the idea that the foundation for our faith in Christ is through scripture itself. The outcome of this is incredible promises God has given us to allow help us stay steadfast. Verses 2-5, then, are quotes of what God is saying. They deal with fear surrounding tough times, situations, and even people which crop up in our lives. The promise is always the same: “I am with you.”

When we have struggles, we tend to pray for help, guidance, or other words to keep us going. What this song is saying is that we already have such words. We neglect the amazing promises of scripture, either because we don’t know them well enough or because we don’t understand how they apply. “God must speak a word directly to me,” we think, “or else He doesn’t care/I’m not important enough/He has forgotten about me.”

“What more can He say than to you He has said?! He will uphold you with an omnipotent hand. He will never leave you. Even all of Hell attacking you is not enough for Him to back off!” The song lays out incredible promises which, especially in light of the scriptures they derive from, ought to be enough to make the weakest continue on. When we sing this old hymns, they should give us great hope, cause us to stand tall, and make us want to rely on Christ all the more. These aren’t empty words from an old book; they are promises to each and every person who has fled to Jesus.

SDG,

-Paul Hart Cochran