Secured on a Firm Foundation {Part 1}

In the Word is a devotional series through various passages of Scripture. Click {here} to read past posts in this series. 

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Today we are starting a three-week series of biblical meditations through Psalm 19, which extols the Word of God. When the sufferings of this world seem impossible to bear, there is no secure foundation for the soul other than the Word of God. Feel free to revisit this post throughout the week to meditate slowly on the Word of God.

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?”

– John Rippon, 1787

Day 1: Warm Glory

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
Psalm 19:1-6

Does the world, its decay and depravity, feel heavy to you today? Think of the sun that warms the world with its heat—it warms you now too. Our God lives, and His glory is still around us. Colossians tells us that He sustains it all: “For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). He sustains you, even in every strained inhale and exhausted exhale, and even when breaths are sobs and eyes yield tears. He sustains your baby’s life this minute too—a heavenly life enjoying God’s glory in person.

You and I see evidences of God’s glory around us, even in a post-fall world, because God created it. Yet, perhaps acknowledging the beauty of this world feels to you like a betrayal of your baby. Maybe you think to yourself, Why should I enjoy any of this world when my child did not live to see it? As you pray through this, consider—you and your child both benefit from the glory of God right now, though in different ways. You share in this together. Even if you cannot bring yourself to enjoy it quite yet, rest and know that the glory of God in creation still surrounds you, even today.

Day 2: A Revival

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul”
Psalm 19:7a

Perhaps you are wondering if you will be under this veil of grief for the rest of your life—Will I ever feel like how I used to feel; will I ever feel any sort of normalcy? Think about what happens to our hearts when we come to Christ—we come as needy sinners, dependent upon God for mercy and forgiveness. What do we find? We see that Christ died for sinners at the cross, taking the burden upon Himself, and that we don’t need to carry it anymore. Once, our souls were lost in sin; now, they are alive because of Christ—they are revived.

The law—that is, the whole of the unchangeable, revealed will of God for us in the Bible—is perfect. We can look upon it with eyes of admiration and awe. This perfect gospel that we learn of through the whole counsel of the Bible—which is without error and to which you and I could add nothing—is the source of the revival of our souls after grief too.

As you grieve, you will need to rediscover something to live for, a purpose. Life will be different now—you will never be someone who has not lost your dear child. Yet, there is a place to gaze upon—the impeccable Word. Start with this book in your hands, start with Christ—start with remembering the spiritual revival that comes from His gospel and discover the renewal of your soul in grief through these same themes. Here, there is always life to revive our souls; God’s Word is perfect.

Day 3: We Can All Be Wise

“the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple”
Psalm 19:7b

Baby loss is something we could never have imagined before it happened to us. That parents could survive their children? That a precious, small, vulnerable child could be without life? It is too much to handle ourselves. Maybe you are questioning just about everything else in life now too. Nothing seems guaranteed. Nothing seems solid. Yet, there is a sure testimony to hear right now amidst these uncertainties circulating in the heart and mind—a joint testimony of people throughout history held in the divinely inspired Word of God (see Hebrews 11). This testimony is telling us that what God speaks to us there is the permanent, established, and lasting; it is truth that we can set ourselves upon.

Knowing God’s Word as a sure, fixed foundation of permanence enables us, no matter who we are, to be very wise. When I considered my set of needs after my daughter went to heaven, I wanted sure answers—solid, wise ones. Scripture gives this—it testifies to the sovereign goodness and perfection of God. I found in it treasures of lasting wisdom. Bring your questions, and most of all, seek to know Him who is all-wise!

Lianna belongs to her Lord. She is wed to Tyler and mother of two girls, one who lives in heaven and one who lives on earth.

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