Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Solid Rock, Sinking Sand from Paul Tripp Ministries. I’m not a fan of unpredictability.
I don’t like it when my schedule changes at the last second. I don’t like it when my flights are delayed and I have to rush to make it to a conference on time. I don’t like having to go to a second store to find what I’m looking for because the first store sold out!
More recently, I’ve had to deal with the unpredictability of my physical health. I don’t like not knowing what the next day will bring. Will I experience pain and discomfort today? Will I get a good night of sleep? Will the next medical test announce positive or negative news?
I know you can relate with these struggles. No human being enjoys feeling like they’re living in the sinking sand of unpredictability, disappointment, or danger. We’re all looking for something, or someone, to rely on.
There’s only one problem: the longer we live, the more we discover how little there is in this fallen world to rely on!
I’ve been married to my wife, Luella, for nearly 45 years. She is my hero in many ways, and we have a wonderful relationship. Yet, our marriage is still marred by sin, and this reality introduces pain and unpredictability into something stable that we’ve been building for many decades.
You may think your job is a source of stability, but a slight turn in the economy could have you unemployed in a moment’s notice. Maybe your house is paid off and your home represents stability, but every physical thing is ultimately in a state of decay.
So here’s the dilemma of humanity: we’re clearly not in control of the details or destiny of our lives, but as rational, purposeful, and emotional beings, we’re on a quest for a deep and abiding source of sturdy hope.
This is why I love the hymn, My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less. I’m deeply persuaded that its famous refrain is repeated over and over again to catch us each time we try in vain to find hope in sinking sand – “On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand / All other ground is sinking sand.”
God, in love, will allow your faux rocks of situations, people, locations, possessions, positions, or answers to be swallowed up so you cry out for his help. As you struggle through the slippery instability of sinking sand in a fallen world, your weariness should be a sign.
There is a Rock of stability, and his name is Christ.
God bless
Paul Tripp
Reflection Questions
- What has proven to be unpredictable thus far in 2016?
- How are you responding to that unpredictabilty?
- How does Christ meet you in your moments of unpredictability, disappointment, or danger?