GETTING READY FOR THE WEEK
SUNDAY, JULY 6
READING: HABAKKUK 3:16-19
This week we are wrapping up our engagement with the book of Habakkuk. Over the past few weeks we have walked together through the ups and downs of Habakkuk’s interactions with God, getting a front row seat for the wrestling with God, the waiting on God, and the reminders of God’s faithfulness to powerfully show up in His perfect timing.
Considering the concluding four verses of Habakkuk, we are drawn into the prophet's profound response to an interaction with God. It's a poignant blend of raw, visceral emotion, akin to someone narrowly escaping a dire situation, and the profound euphoria of recognizing a love so deeply transformative that it compels eternal change.
Hope is often built during times of complex emotions and uncertain circumstances, moments when one is faced with both the thrill of the mountain top and the uncertainty of the valley.
In 1834, Charles Mote, a young and talented cabinet maker with a passion for hymns and hymn writing, was gripped with the words of a simple chorus while walking one morning to his cabinet shop, “On Christ the solid rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” As the day progressed, he would pin 4 stanzas to accompany the chorus.
After worship the following Sunday, Mote was visiting a friend whose wife lay sick. Planning to pray with them and sing them a hymn, Charles realized that he had forgotten his hymnal. He pulled the newly drafted hymn out of his pocket. The words provided such comfort and encouragement to the couple that Mote quickly made 1000 copies to distribute to others. Some 20 years later, the words were set to the music that is still widely known and loved worldwide.
This week, we will consider how hope is built in our lives. Using the chorus and stanzas from this beloved hymn, we will consider how the courageous, sacrificial love of Jesus provides a firm foundation of hope able to sustain us through the most uncertain of times and enable us to ‘tread on high places’ which seem out of reach.
Considering the concluding four verses of Habakkuk, we are drawn into the prophet's profound response to an interaction with God. It's a poignant blend of raw, visceral emotion, akin to someone narrowly escaping a dire situation, and the profound euphoria of recognizing a love so deeply transformative that it compels eternal change.
Hope is often built during times of complex emotions and uncertain circumstances, moments when one is faced with both the thrill of the mountain top and the uncertainty of the valley.
In 1834, Charles Mote, a young and talented cabinet maker with a passion for hymns and hymn writing, was gripped with the words of a simple chorus while walking one morning to his cabinet shop, “On Christ the solid rock I stand; All other ground is sinking sand.” As the day progressed, he would pin 4 stanzas to accompany the chorus.
After worship the following Sunday, Mote was visiting a friend whose wife lay sick. Planning to pray with them and sing them a hymn, Charles realized that he had forgotten his hymnal. He pulled the newly drafted hymn out of his pocket. The words provided such comfort and encouragement to the couple that Mote quickly made 1000 copies to distribute to others. Some 20 years later, the words were set to the music that is still widely known and loved worldwide.
This week, we will consider how hope is built in our lives. Using the chorus and stanzas from this beloved hymn, we will consider how the courageous, sacrificial love of Jesus provides a firm foundation of hope able to sustain us through the most uncertain of times and enable us to ‘tread on high places’ which seem out of reach.
RESOURCES
Unshakable Hope - Max Lucado (Right Now Media)
Hope Heals, Katherine & Jay Wolf
The Solid Rock (My Hope is Built), Reawaken Hymns (YouTube)
Hope Heals, Katherine & Jay Wolf
The Solid Rock (My Hope is Built), Reawaken Hymns (YouTube)