General Lee’s Favorite Hymn

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“The firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’” — 2 Timothy 2:19

How do you appropriate God’s grace in suffering?

How can you experience the endurance of faith as you live through something truly difficult?

Are these good questions to ask during wartime?  I believe they are, and the answers to these two deep questions can be found in the old hymn, How Firm a Foundation.  Perhaps you will see that it is no surprise that this hymn was General Robert E. Lee’s favorite hymn.

But before we examine the lyrics, let me state that the writer of this hymn is anonymous.  How Firm a Foundation was first published in a hymnal in 1787—with no credit given to who composed it.  Only God and the author know.  In a world obsessed with taking credit and receiving payment for achievement, this hymn is an unknown person’s offering to God.

What intrigues me about that, however, is that after verse 1, the entire hymn is God speaking to us.  In the majority of hymns we sing to God. . .we sing about God. . . we sing about each other. . .and we sing about ourselves.  But in this hymn God does the talking.  He tells us who He is and what He is like, especially in respect to what difficult challenges we are going through.  In times of suffering, we need to hear God speaking.  God’s voice speaks deeper than what hurts, brighter than what is dark, and more enduring than what is lost.  His voice changes the meaning of every hardship.  And in the process we end up looking more like Jesus.

Verse 1 makes the case that the Bible has the answers to the matters of faith—God’s Word speaking to us:

“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,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?”

Paul writes to Timothy, “The firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His.’” 2 Timothy 2:19   As refugees (those who depend absolutely on outside mercies) of Jesus Christ, we run and cling to that foundation of Truth.  We appropriate God’s grace in suffering by listening to what He has already said in His Word.

What more can He say?  It’s all in the Bible.  Let me share four things He has said which are proclaimed in the hymn that will bring about grace and strength in our suffering:

1.  God is with us—Isaiah 41:10

The second verse of How Firm a Foundation reads:

“Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

And in Isaiah 41:10, God speaks:  “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

In genuine suffering and trials there is the temptation to give in to the fear and dismay that surrounds such trials.  The problem is not so much that we feel troubled by trouble and pained by pain.  The problem is that during these times, God simply becomes an afterthought.  Suffering tends to trigger a cascade of bad reactions—cynicism, becoming disheartened, having no hope, weariness, and doubts.  However, Isaiah 41:10 offsets those bad reactions with these promises:  “I am with you.  I am your God.  I will strengthen you.  I will help you.  I will uphold you by My all-good all-powerful hand.”  These are the truths we need to be listening to.

2.  God is with us for a purpose—Isaiah 43:2, Romans 8:28

The third verse is:

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
For I will be with thee, they troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee they deepest distress.”

In Isaiah 43:2 we read, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” It is clear from these verses that not only is God with us in difficult times, but God is with us for a purpose.  Our significant sufferings ultimately bring about God’s purpose—which is a blessing—and God’s transforming work.

3.  God is with us for the purpose of transformation—1 Peter 1:6-9

Verse Four:

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie
My grace, all sufficient, shall be they supply:
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
They dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

God’s voice in the hymn comes from 1 Peter 1:6-9:  “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.  These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

Peter states emphatically that experiences of suffering purify our faith and make it more precious than gold.  Suffering is all about transformation.  Suffering and trials are used by God to transform our faith.  And it is transformed faith that brings praise, honor, and glory to God.  Just as the smelting furnace burns off the dross, the worthless aspects of the metal, so God uses suffering to burn off anything that hinders faith.

4.  God will never ever forsake you—Deuteronomy 31:6

Notice that seven times in Verse Five the writer repeats God’s promise:

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”

That is God saying to us the truth in Deuteronomy 31:6—“Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

General Robert E. Lee loved this hymn, and it was sung at his funeral, “. . . as an expression of his full trust in the ways of the Heavenly Father.”  (Hymnstory, Nov 2001)

This hymn was also used to encourage our nation at the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance after the 9/11 attack on our nation.  Billy Graham used it in his message and said, “We all watched in horror as planes crashed into the steel and glass of the World Trade Center.  Those majestic towers, built on solid foundations, were examples of the prosperity and creativity of America.  When damaged, those buildings eventually plummeted to the ground, imploding in upon themselves.  Yet, underneath the debris, is a foundation that was not destroyed.  Therein lies the truth of that old hymn, How Firm a Foundation. . . . That foundation is our trust in God.  That’s what this service is all about and in that faith we have the strength to endure something as difficult and horrendous as what we have experienced this week.”  (Address to National Day of Prayer and Remembrance, Sept 14, 2001)

So I give you this hymn today in order to encourage you in these tough times of war, and will close my devotional with the words of a stanza from this hymn which is little-known.  You won’t find this verse in the hymnals of today, but it has truth for you who are fighting the war on terror, whether at home or overseas:

“In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.”

God has spoken.  Are we listening?

Questions to Share:

1.  What challenges are you facing today?  How can the knowledge of God’s presence give this challenge purpose?

2. Looking back, can you name a time when you felt God working in your life?  What was happening during that time?