Day 20: Unshakable Foundation
“Those from among you will
rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.”
“Perhaps somewhere in the sub-terranean chambers of your life you have heard the call to deeper, fuller living. You have become weary of frothy experiences and shallow teaching. Every now and then you have caught glimpses, hints of something more than you have known. Inwardly you long to launch out into the deep. ”
The footings of strength, honor, joy, celebration, life, family, the hustle and bustle of the marketplace, the fields where warriors were trained—these routines of life were all built over many generations. Israel walked away from God and rebelled by turning to the idols of their neighbors, the enticements of a world void of Yahweh, and all was lost… the walls were breached. The Babylonians invaded and burned the foundations of Israel to the ground…
“Ask me not where I live and what I like to eat. Ask me what I am living for and what I think is keeping me from living fully for that.”
How do you raise up the age-old foundations and pursue a life that is fully alive?
First, have you cleared away the rubble during this season of prayer and restoration? Have you identified the leftover stones of shame and regret and discouragement—clear them off the foundation. Removed the yoke—those things that have weighed you down.
Next, have you firmed up the foundation of your heart and mind? Have you embraced your identity in Christ? Are you confident, by faith, that you are a new creation? Are you ready to rebuild renewed character, renewed relationship?
Restored hearts and minds become invigorated with the idea of building a new foundation for life, so where do you start?
Ask yourself what are the cornerstones of your life going to be? If you were to pick four immovable stones upon which to build your life – start over, start fresh, what would they be? Have you ever thought about it?
ACTION: Take time today to pray for four foundational stones you will choose to be immovable, uncompromised–the life philosophy upon which you will build your future.
Spiritual disciplines – prayer, fasting, worship, sabbatical, stewardship, fellowship?
Uncompromised devotional time
Regular silence and solitude
Truth and honesty without compromise?
Personal reflection and meditation
Serve God in everything, not self
Worship over worry
God’s Word over the World
Daily pursue better physical health
You have been called to rebuild. You are being called to raise up the original foundations intended by your Creator to give you life and power for living.
Here is my only caution when speaking like this.
Don’t make this rebuilding an exercise in human wisdom and desire. It is all too easy to carve foundational stones that sound good to the world but lack integral strength in the face of eternity.
As you pursue this task, ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your choices. Maybe it’s three stones, maybe it’s five, but keep the count small so the impact is large. It is easier to do a few things well than many things poorly.