Regarding the present crisis around the world, I had some thoughts on the wonderful hymn of faith which was written to encourage the believer in the midst of difficulty: 'My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness'.
We WILL go through difficult times in our Christian walk. In fact, Paul writes: 'No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.' 1Cor 10.13.
Now that temptation or trial may be any number of things. It could be the sickness or death of a loved one, or the loss of a job, it could be a financial disaster, it could be having lies spoken about you, or the spiritual downfall of someone you had set on a pedestal, or deep anxiety, depression, or sorrow so great, that life, it is felt, is not worth living. It could also be doubting that God actually exists or that he is a caring God, or that our sins have been forgiven.
For the Christian, Christ alone is the foundation of what our life is built upon. It is certainly not based on our own righteousness. Many Christians, I'm convinced, do not, deep in their heart, really believe that God really loves them. The reason for this is that they do not believe they deserve God's love. The truth is that none of us do deserve God's love- it has been freely given to us through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. In my experience, if a Catholic is asked whether they believe they will go to heaven when they die, they will reply, 99% of the time, with the words: 'I hope so'. In other words, they are basing God's decision to accept them into heaven on their own good works. Many Protestants are not sure either. Many believe that Christ died for them with their heads but often do not believe it in their hearts.
John Wesley was 35 years old and a Church of England minister for many years before he believed in his heart that the Lord had forgiven him. In describing his heartwarming experience on 24th May 1738 he wrote in his journal:
'In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.'
Though after this experience Wesley had many ups and downs, this was a real turning point in his life and it resulted in the Methodist Revival of the 18th century.
Likewise for us, in times of trial, let us use our experience to trust in Christ alone, our sure foundation. Let all the others go- our reputation, our qualifications, our righteousness, our riches, our possessions, our spirituality, our connections- all these things are sinking sand and not a sure foundation. By letting everything else go it will give us the freedom to trust in Christ alone and bring to us an intimacy that we will never have experienced before.
An added blessing is that, as we rely on Christ alone as our foundation in the midst of trouble, people may notice that we are not frantic like those who are without Christ. In that case, we may shine Christ's light for them and be used as a lighthouse- not just to warn of the danger of the rocks, which a lighthouse does, but be a light on the path for the weary traveler, with a view to leading them to safety.
Andrew
1 My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
:On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.
2 When darkness seems to veil his face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev'ry high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.
3 His oath, his covenant, his blood
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay.
4 When he shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]
