What Can We Do If the Foundations of our Own Lives Collapse?

“The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?”

Psalm 11:3

In the original sense of Psalm 11:3, the foundations are the pillars of social order. Yesterday’s Daily Reflection focused on this meaning of the foundations. Yet as I meditate on Psalm 11:3, others kinds of foundations suggest themselves to me. I’m thinking of the foundations of our personal lives.

As a pastor, I’ve met with people who have just heard that they have serious, possibly terminal cancer. The foundation of health crumbles before their eyes. Or I think of conversations with people whose families are going to pieces as their children get arrested for drug use, or as their spouses seek divorce. These days, many of us are experiencing the loss of economic foundations, as we lose our jobs or see our retirement investments dwindle. So what can we do when the foundations of our own lives collapse?

For us, the answer is much the same as in the case of societal foundations. When the foundation upon which we have built our lives begins to fall apart, we look for something stronger and more resilient. We remember that God alone is our rock, the one on whom we can build a trustworthy life. When we feel afraid about where our life is going, we renew our confidence in God’s grace and sovereignty. Ironically, the crumbling of our life’s foundations often helps us to dig deeper and to base our life on the only thing, the only One, who is steadfast and solid.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What are the “foundations” of your life? Have you ever experienced the collapse of your foundations? What happened? How have you been able to turn to God when life seems so uncertain and fragile?

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I can say that my life is built upon you, that you are my foundation. This is profoundly true in an ultimate sense. But, as you know, I base my life on so many other foundations as well: good health, family, financial security, government, my employer, being well-liked by people, etc. Surely it’s not bad to value these things. Most of them are gifts from your hand. But if I put too much trust in these gifts, rather than in you, the Giver, and if I turn them into the foundations of my life, then I’m sure to run into trouble.

Help me, dear Lord, to base my life upon you, not just in theory, but in fact. Help me to rest upon you each day, to seek your guidance, to live for your glory. When I feel threatened or afraid, may I find strength in you. Because you are my foundation, may the edifice of my life be strong and growing, for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.