“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal”.
Isaiah 26:3–4
It is amazing how much an event can impact you even though it occurs in a place you have never been, many miles from where you live, affecting people you do not even know. This has been the case for me with the devastating mudslide that struck the town of Oso, Washington some weeks ago.
It is hard to wrap your mind around the side of a mountain coming loose and falling away. Mountains aren’t supposed to move. It is somewhat ironic that a few of the greatest tragedies in the Pacific Northwest, in my life-time, have involved the very things which make this part of the country so beautiful—mountains. Of course, though the eruption of Mt. St. Helens was far more wide-reaching in its scope—I remember vividly watching the large plume of ash and then scooping it up from the layer it left in Portland—it was less shocking because we had been prepared for its eventuality.
Sadly, the people of Oso had no such warning. In a matter of minutes, the inhabitants of this little community, along with those who were just passing through, were swept away in a cataclysmic mudslide that they couldn’t even have imagined. Certainly, there are other tragedies that elicit the same kind of shock, whether it is fire sweeping down a mountain side, earthquakes toppling buildings like dominoes, or a tsunami wave washing away thousands of people. Yet, there is still something uniquely jolting about mountains coming down. Mountains are supposed to be solid, strong, sure. Mountains don’t move! (That is what makes Jesus’ lesson on “prayer that moves mountains” so powerful.)
If even the mountains move, then, the question is: Where can I take my stand? Where can I find solid ground, firm footing, a sure foundation? I am talking about more than rocks and dirt. I am talking about where we find hope and peace in the face of life’s mudslides. For though few of us will ever face a mountain falling down, we all experience tragedy in losing loved ones, broken relationships or severe loss. And it is in those times that we feel the earth moving under our feet, we feel our solid ground slipping away, we are shaken.
So, if even the mountains give way, is there no solid ground on which to plant our lives? This question is answered in Isaiah 26 above. And it is answered, in verse 4, with the threefold repetition of God’s Covenant name, the LORD, Yahweh. We are called upon to put our trust in Yahweh because He is the Rock eternal.
In Isaiah’s time, the northern kingdom of Israel went into captivity. And the same Assyrian army was threatening Jerusalem, as well. And even though Judah would be preserved for a while, Isaiah prophesied that in a short period of time, Jerusalem, itself, would fall. Talk about the ground moving beneath your feet. Talk about disturbing news for the people of God.
And yet, in the midst of devastating events and unthinkable predictions, Isaiah continues to hold out genuine hope for the people of God. What was the basis for that hope? It was hope in a God who did not grow tired or weary in His care for His people (Isaiah 40) and, ultimately, in the Suffering Servant He would send to purchase their redemption (Isaiah 52:13-53:12).
How easy it is for us to look to the things we have, the little kingdoms we build, the pleasures we pursue, to be the ground of our hope and joy. But as the residents of Oso learned just a few weeks ago, there is nothing on this earth that we can truly put our trust in. However, there is a great God in heaven who is a Rock to all who trust in Him. He is able to keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast. So, how do we grow in steadfastness?
The answer is found in the threefold repetition: Yahweh, Yahweh, Yahweh! If we would grow in steadfastness, then we must grow in our personal investment in God and the things of God. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Luke 12:34). Are you investing your treasure … your time, energy, resources … in Him and the things He cares about? Sometimes our world seems like one big infomercial tempting us to invest in things that seem nifty, yet will not last and will not fulfill us. But the more we invest ourselves in the things of God and the people of God and our walk with God, the more steadfast we become. So, how can you increase your investment in Him this week, this month, this year? In the words of that insurance commercial from the 80’s, “Get a piece of the Rock!”
In Christ, Pastor Dan