I have been staying at The Salvation Army Training College this week. One of the highlights has been Spiritual Day. For anyone who has never been involved with one, it is like a day of Salvation Army meetings, but for Cadets and the Staff at the College.
I love them, we usually have either the college Principles or someone else special come and lead the meetings such as our Territorial Leaders and I often find them refreshing and inspiring. This time we were taught by the TC on the topic of hope. It was all great stuff.
One thing I love about spiritual days is the mix of music. We have songs led by a worship group and we also have songs accompanied by the brass band. Now I am happy with either, its a debate I quite happily sit upon the fence about because I love both! I love playing my own guitar and worshiping God in that way, but I also love the depth and passion of some of the songs found in the song book.
This time we sang a song from the song book and then immediately afterwards sang the contemporary version of the song. I preferred the new song musically however the words of the older version really spoke to me. Here they are:
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.
Chorus
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
2.
When darkness seems to veil his face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Chorus
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
3.
His oath, his covenant and blood,
Support me in the 'whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
Chorus
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
SASB 662 Edward Mote
This song really got to me. Initially I was not sure why. I stood there with tears welling up in my eyes and by the time I got to the second verse I could not hold them in anymore. It did not take me long to work out why God was speaking to me so strongly through this song.
I understand the power of the sea, I understand the power it has to sweep you from rocks, I understand how when stood by the sea you need to ensure your footing is secure or else you could easily be pulled out to sea.
But why would God be speaking to me through this metaphor?
Well if I am honest too often recently I have allowed myself to be swept away; by many different things. By my feelings, by the way others treat me, by the things others do or say to me or just generally by the world. Each of us are different, because when these things get to me I initially react by getting angry and then I get really low and fed up. To put my own words to the song:
My hope has not been built on
Jesus' blood and righteousness,
I tried to trust my own frame,
And not to lean on Jesus' name.
Because of this, darkness has not seemed to 'Veil His face', I have totally allowed darkness to Veil his face. And you know when that happens, I recon the enemy laughs, because he has achieved his aim. To come between a believer and Christ.
It got to me because I realised this had happened, but it also helped me, because realising there is a problem is a massive step towards fixing the problem! Now I have realised I had allowed my hope to disappear I can re fix my hope upon Christ.
I lost my hope and so lots of other things creeped in and took me further and further away from the hope I should have had in Christ.
Romans 15:13 Tells us what happens when we allow ourselves to focus or hope.
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (NIV)
Along with the filling of hope we also receive the gifts of Joy and Peace, all things which previously due to my unstable footing I had lost.
Now God has reminded me of this I plan to live constantly focusing on him and the hope he has given us, and it is a great hope because we already know that if we follow him, he has already won the battles we are trying to fight!
So don't forget we should set ourself upon the solid rock, which is Christ. In doing so we will be able to take the things which the world and the enemy throws at us! Then when lifes storms come our sure footing will ensure we are not washed away, but remain firm safe in Christ's hope and strength.
