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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

How firm a foundation

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,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9
...who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Hebrews 6:18

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.
...and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. Deuteronomy 33:25 

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness...For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Isaiah 43:10,13

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee... Isaiah 43:2

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.
...when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2
My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness... 2 Corinthians 12:9

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.
And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. Isaiah 46:4
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11

The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.
...I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

From A Selection of Hymns from the Best Authors, by John Rippon, 1787; it has been attributed to various authors through the years. Quite popular, this hymn was sung at the funerals of Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Robert E. Lee (and is the theme song of J. Vernon McGee's "Through the Bible" radio program). It is found with the tune Bellevue in the Sacred Harp on page 72.

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