Greetings in the Strong Name of Jesus!

Isaiah 28:16 - “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, * a firm and tested stone.  It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. *” NLT

In the early years of my marriage, I had the opportunity to work for a contractor who remodeled homes.  My early responsibilities were simply to tear out and tear up so the carpenter could come in after me and rebuild.  It wasn’t long, however, before I was given more responsibility and soon, I was no longer tearing out. I was rebuilding alongside the carpenter.  I learned a lot.  But one of the first things I learned was this - always make sure you have a strong, level surface on which to build.  There were times we had to put in new foundations to support the new where we had torn out the old.  That foundation had to be square, level and strong enough to support the new building.  And if we were building in brick or stone, that first stone, the cornerstone, had to be perfectly square or somewhere down the line something else would end up crooked.  Sometimes the concrete in the foundation had to pass a “slump test”.  This was a test performed to test for the moisture content of the concrete which is directly related to the strength of the concrete.

I like this portion of scripture because it speaks to something I understand - a foundation, a cornerstone.  Another reason I like this scripture is it is an Old Testament scripture speaking of a New Testament event, Jesus Christ coming to earth.  Isaiah is referring to Jesus Christ whom God will send.  God says, through Isaiah, this stone will be firm and tested.  This cornerstone will be safe to build on and if we build on it, we will never be shaken.  Another translation says, “...we need never run away again.”  God sent Jesus not only to be a Savior but to be the foundation upon which we could build our lives.  The truth of His Word, the action of His life, and the promise of His return are those foundations upon which we can build and never fear the greatest wind of life for it cannot be destroyed.

The Holy Spirit comes to us and shows us what room or rooms need to be remodeled.  We take on the task of tearing down the old and God begins to replace the old with the new.  But He builds it on a new foundation.  That foundation is square and level.  That foundation has been tested and found to be strong enough to hold our lives.  That foundation is safe to build on and when the old is replaced with the new it will not be shaken because the foundation is strong.  I like the words “...we need never run away again.”  There are times when I see buildings or remodeled jobs and I think, “Did that guy get away fast enough before someone discovered his poor work.”  God will never run away from His work and you are His work.

Do you have “old” that needs to be removed?  Are there places where God would like to rebuild you?  Is your life built on the right foundation?  We certainly live in days of strong winds - literally, economically, politically, and family-wise - and we cannot afford to build on something that has failed the test of strength.  God’s Cornerstone, Jesus, has been tested and found worthy of building upon.  Trust Him and you will never have to run away.

You are loved and prayed for,

Pastor Roger

With Permission:

Pastor Roger Huff

Renew Church, Waco, Texas