Who do we turn to when the foundations are shaken?

There are times in the history of nations when the things people trusted in, the things that seemed solid, stable and enduring, are shaken.

I’m writing this on 5th September, and the Prime Minister has just lost a series of votes in Parliament, and the historic elements of the British constitution seem strained.

No-one knows what the future will hold, and it feels to some like the solid foundations of our nation are being shaken.

That sense of distressing upheaval that comes in the life of nations, can come in our own lives too, and then at its most deep and profound level. And few things shake us more profoundly than the loss of a loved one. People often say to me that their loved one, for whom they grieve, was their ‘rock’.

In the Bible (in Psalm 46) the Psalmist, writes of that feeling that the foundations of our lives are being shaken. He sees mountains – normally stable and secure – being cast into the depths of a raging, stormy sea.

‘…the earth gives way… the mountains…moved into the heart of the sea… its waters roar and foam… the mountains tremble at its swelling.’

Where do we, in fact, who do we turn to in the midst of such disorder and chaos? The Psalmist writes:

God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,
    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. (Psalm 46:1-3)

We are to turn to God. And when he says ‘God’ he has someone specific in mind; the One True God, the God of the Bible, the God who has made His name known as ‘The Lord’ (in the Old Testament put in capital letters).

The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:7).

And when we see LORD in capital letters, and that reference to ‘the God of Jacob’ that’s ‘Bible language’ for the God who has bound Himself, by His Promise, to His people (elsewhere the phrase is ‘the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’).

And that title ‘LORD’ is very the title that Jesus Christ very deliberately and carefully took upon Himself.

So, let us remember, in the face of change and turmoil, when the foundations of our lives are shaking, to place our faith and trust in Christ, the God who has, in love, bound Himself to all who turn to Him.

The Psalmist concludes with these famous words, and in them God Himself speaks:

‘Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!’
The LORD of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:10-11)

We turn in faith and trust to Him, and ‘take refuge’ in Christ.

And, as we do that, we pray for those who govern us, and for those for whom life has become very difficult and painful.

May God bless you with a greater knowledge of Christ’s presence and peace.

David