The Chief Cornerstone

I have been wanting to write this blog post for a while but was giving it time to ruminate before I did.  We recently decided to pave and widen our driveway.  A lot of unexpected events occurred including the corner stone pillar in our sunroom being knocked down in the process.  Half of it stayed in tact. We were incredibly thankful for this because if it had all come down our sun room would have sheered off the front of the house with it.  Shortly after the pillar had fallen the rain began to pour and I was wondering how that would affect the structural integrity of the rest of the rock, brick and mortar.  But it held.   It was a stressful set of circumstances to be sure but in the midst of it all, my Abba Father was still speaking.  Our home is made from gorgeous field stones.  It's rare to see houses like ours.  The corner stone that partially fell down was made from the same field stone as our house.  As I watched this whole process to secure & build up that pillar; I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me through several passages of scripture.  The one that came to mind right away was the passage in Mark 12:10 which says: "Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;"; repeated again in Matthew 21:42-44 "Jesus said to them. "Did you never read the Scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, this became the Chief Corner stone, this came about from the Lord and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing the fruit of it.  And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces but on whomever it falls it will scatter him like dust."  Through all the stress of this event the Lord continued to draw me back to this passage, reminding me continually of how the pillar that holds our sun room and essentially the rest of our house is like Him.  He's the chief corner stone, holds all things together for the good of His people.  When we fall on that stone we will be broken but it won't scatter us because we are His.  The workers we hired dug out around that stone pillar to reveal the foundation it was set upon.  Deep in the ground we  found this massive concrete footing that held up all that stone, brick and mortar.  Again the Lord brought a passage to mind:  Isaiah 28:16 "So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed."  As the structure to that pillar holding our sunroom was revealed I felt more and more that the Lord was revealing Himself throughout these circumstances.  He is like the footing on that pillar, the sure foundation and He is the corner stone that holds up even when it looks like all things are crumbling before our eyes.  After the pillar of our home had partially come down, the rain and wind whipped around us and I prayed that it would not fall in the torrential downpour.  For the next few days I felt sick to my stomach about the whole thing.  We had to scramble to get workers to come take care of it.  I was still in some panic about whether or not it would hold and spent a restless night listening for the cracking of our home if it came down.  When we found out the cost that we would incur to fix it we were wondering how that would work out.  There were a few other things I was concerned about that were happening separate from this incident and I found myself in a very bad head space but at the same time aware that God was speaking.

One afternoon as I was grappling with the stress I decided I just needed to go for a run at the local track and spend time with the Lord.  I knew He was speaking to me about Him being the cornerstone.  I was also aware that I wasn't seeing the 'forest for the trees'.  I took that hour to really listen.  I said to Jesus:  "I know you're speaking Lord, let me hear."   I was struck with the passage in Luke 6:46-49.  In this passage Jesus is talking about builders and foundations.  He says: "Why do you call Me, "Lord, Lord', and do not do what I say?  Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them I will show you whom he is like:  he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.  But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed and the ruin of that house was great."  It's easy to look at the circumstances: the death of a loved one, a disease, illness, a company that refuses to pay in whole for the damage they caused, a move to a different city, estranged relationships, children you are concerned for and the list goes on.   I realised that I was calling Him 'Lord' but also holding on to the anxiety.  You can't trust and hold on to the anxiety.  I sought forgiveness and set about to actively throw myself on the rock.  This is sometimes a moment by moment discipline.  I can feel the anxiety rise up inside me but I also know that I can't embrace it.

I was listening to some Praise and Worship in the van the other day.  A song came on entitled:  "You are Good".  One line in particular caught my attention: "In the heat of the day with each stone that I lay, You are still good."  As we rebuild that pillar out front of our house, I reminded that I am laying each stone on a sure foundation.  There may be ancient ruins of fear, anxiety and the inability to trust in trying circumstances but the foundation I choose to build my house on is sure and steadfast.  The constant in my life.  I felt like the solitude of my run cleared my head to bring in to sharp focus what the Lord was wanting me to see.  It's the living out of it that can be so difficult at times but I just need to keep throwing myself on the rock.

In the Quiet Moments

More and more lately I have been reminded of all the moments I just need to be quiet, to live in the rest for a weary soul that only the Lord provides.  Life can be so busy and physically I can feel spent but that doesn't mean that I can not be quiet and restful in my soul.  I often forget where my strength comes from, that pillar and chief corner stone that is my ever present help at any given moment.   I often think of King David when men pursued him to do evil and harm and yet his very soul clung to God for rest even in the midst of great turmoil.  I have been reading through the Psalms and Proverbs lately, really concentrating on where my help comes from.  ^{Psalm 121: 1-2 1} I lift up my eyes to the mountains, where does my help come from^{? 2} My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth."  He is that ever present help Psalm 46:1b "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble."  It is so tempting, at times. to rely on anything but God to strengthen me.  I can look to friends, family, google something now a days or read a book, there are all sorts of avenues but there is nothing that can truly satisfy me more then the lover of my soul.  The quiet in my soul is where the Lord meets me during the day, He relieves confusion, doubt and fear and replaces them with the truth of His nature, the consistency of His character and the strength of His might.  The rest and quiet do not indicate passivity but rather an active choice to place my reliance and stability fully on Christ.  This world is a fast moving place, with all it's technology and distractions, it's easy to rely on something outside of myself or get caught up in the activity outside of me but the cost is far to great.  I really need that quiet with my Savior, it is one of the ways I worship during the day.  I can still have quiet during the activity.  When I come to the end of the day, and say to myself: "I really needed the Lord today" are the days that I chose to rely on Him continually and I don't feel like I've missed something.   Whispered prayers deep in my soul to a God who hears and sees all, the scriptures that come to mind with the still small voice, and the songs of worship that are like well springs of life, are all forms of worship that I need to cling to during the day.   I have to dig deep sometimes to get past the feelings of discord and passivity but the fight is well worth it.  Fight the good fight!  I really love that closing verse in 2 Timothy 2:22 "The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you."  Oh yes, how my soul resounds to that statement.  In the moments of each day may I choose the Lord in my spirit and walk through the day by His grace.