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When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? – Psalm 11:3 (NIV)
Many Christians know the song “It is well with my soul,” for it has been translated into many languages. Some know the story behind it, others maybe not. Horatio Spafford, the author, was a businessman in Chicago. He and his wife had four daughters and one son. In a period of two years, they lost their business in a fire; their last-born son died as an infant; their four daughters drowned in the Atlantic when their ship collided with another while going to Europe with their mother. After being rescued from the accident alone, when his wife arrived in London, she telegraphed Spafford, saying, “Saved alone, what shall I do?” it was when he was on his way to reunite with his wife that he composed that song. His story looks like Job’s story. The foundations of their lives were being destroyed. What does the just do?
Though we are spiritual beings, we are also physical, and the things that make us who we are, are physical and tangible. These are our foundations. Our families, careers, businesses, and countries are pillars that sustain us. It is not wise to think those things are irrelevant because you are a Christian; that would be what the Bible calls being overly righteous and overwise (Ecclesiastes 7:16). Lives crumble when those things are removed, and it does not make you less spiritual when you are affected. Think about the Christians in Ukraine. Can they remain unaffected because they pray and believe in God? One day they were peaceful, flourishing in their country; the next day, they were bombarded by a powerful army of another country, which outwardly looked more powerful and more equipped than theirs. And it was not long ago that they were fighting the pandemic. Unfortunately, nothing is new; the world has always been in turmoil. Foundations are being destroyed every single day. What we thought was our protection and security are removed, families are torn apart, and systems are ruined. People who lived before us maybe did not have the pandemic and the likes but had their set of problems. As human beings, we are constantly wondering, what will happen next?
Here is where God asks the question to his children. What do you do when the foundations are destroyed? What do you do when the pillars are shaken, and the protective cover is removed? Notice that the Bible does not say if the foundations are being destroyed, but when. It is not a matter of if, it is certain, it will happen. Then what do you do when it happens? God’s question is very hard, and the answer to it is equally complex: the just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4b). Walking and living by faith is hard. We are physical beings of flesh and blood; therefore, when the flesh sees such a word, it screams no! I can’t do it. I am wired for the touch, the smell and the feel; I can’t do it. However, you must live by faith if you want to please God. Hebrews 11:38 says, “Now the just shall live by faith; but if anyone draws back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” So when the foundations crumble around you, and you are left alone wondering what to do, silence the flesh, strengthen yourself in the Lord like David, bend down and pick up the pieces and keep going forward by faith, trusting God one step at a time. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
