Uncanny Relevance

Marry the background story with the powerful words of a song or hymn
and the impact is doubled. This posting follows the three previously
posted hymn stories. The history provides a window of insight into the
anchors of men’s souls when times are perilous, overwhelming or just
plain stressful.

Marry the background story with the powerful words of a song or hymn
and the impact is doubled. This posting follows the three previously
posted hymn stories. The history provides a window of insight into the
anchors of men’s souls when times are perilous, overwhelming or just
plain stressful.

The words of this song grabbed my attention last Sunday as my husband
and I joined in the singing while visiting a small church in the Texas
Hill country. Music is the medium God frequently uses to minister to my soul. I was aware of a lot of stress and burdens within as I
sat down. The words flashed on the screen and I was struck by the
strength and peace I felt just meditating on them as we sang the song
in its’ entirety. A sermon in itself, the hymn speaks of God’s presence in alarming stresses directly from Isaish 41:10 and 43:2.

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 soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!"

First published in 1787 in England in the hymnal, "Selection of Hymns,"
by Dr. John Rippon, a London Baptist pastor, the song was mistakenly
credited to him. Because of the initial “K”  by the title, it is
generally thought that R. Keene, the music director in Rippon’s church,
was the author of the text.

Because of the  hymnal’s popularity  an American edition was printed in
Philadelphia in 1820. By the time of the Civil War, "How Firm a
Foundation” was a favorite in the country. It became well known
throughout the North and the South during the time of the Civil War and
was included in most American hymnals of the time. What a mysterious
fact of history that many soldiers on both sides both sides of this
painful American conflict may have been personally strengthened by this
hymn “How Firm a Foundation”.

Because the hymn had been a favorite of his wife, Rachael, President
Andrew Jackson requested it to be sung at his bedside shortly before he
died, saying he wanted only to join his wife in Heaven. Robert E. Lee
requested the song for his funeral "as an expression of his full trust
in the ways of the Heavenly Father." Even Theodore Roosevelt recognized
the importance of this song during a time of great need.

The timeless power of this hymn from an earlier century speaks with
uncanny relevance to us right now in the 21st century
.It certainly did to me last Sunday. Can you find yourself in one of
the verses?