God’s Unshakeable Grip

For the past several weeks, we’ve been walking through the verses of the hymn “How Firm a Foundation.” The writer of this hymn drew from the promises of Scripture to describe God’s faithfulness through our lifetime. In this final verse, we learn that the firm foundation God’s promises lasts through all eternity. 

“The soul that on Jesus has 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.” 

There are a couple of words in this verse that don’t usually make it into our everyday vocabulary. Repose means rest, specifically rest after a time of struggle or an eternal resting place. Forsake means to abandon, refuse, or turn away from someone. The hymn writer wanted us to be comforted by the truth that those who find their rest and their eternal home in Jesus can never be shaken loose from God’s faithful hands. 

Do you feel shaken today? Take some time to slowly read God’s promises: 

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

“. . . he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5b-6) 

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:27-29) 

When we come to Jesus for refuge and rest, He will never turn us away. If you have leaned on Jesus and belong to Him today, you will be held in His unshakeable grip for all eternity. Because no enemy we face is greater than God—not even hell itself—nothing can take you from His hands. 

No matter what you face this week, you’re secure in God’s unshakeable grip. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed our journey through this hymn together! If you missed them, you can read the first four posts in this series 1: here, 2: here, 3: here, and 4: here, or click here to listen to “How Firm a Foundation” on Spotify.

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