Week 5 – January 26-February 1, 2025: A Firm Foundation

This week’s daily readings:

January 26 - February 1, 2025

This week’s devotional:

A Firm Foundation

by Nicholas Ambrose

Scripture:

Now I stand on solid ground,
    and I will publicly praise the Lord. 

— Psalm 26:12 (NIV) 

Reflection:

San Francisco is well known for its streets with steep inclines. It fascinates tourists who visit the city, especially those used to living on flat, level-grounded streets. While these streets may get some attention, the houses built on them certainly garner a sense of amazement and awe far beyond a steep street. These houses have to be made perfectly level, which requires some precise construction work involving excavating the hillside to create a level area for the foundation. Not only do you need to create a dug-out area for a level foundation, but you may also need to put up retaining walls that support the sloped earth around the house. When all is said and done in building the house, you will have a perfectly level home to live in, all situated on steep, precipitous ground. 

I think the houses built on these steep streets in San Francisco illustrate our foundation in Christ. We live in a world full of unlevel ground that can have us falling so easily. But we also have a strong and firm foundation in Christ that gives us level ground for our feet. This level ground we find ourselves standing on is a definite reason to praise the LORD, for he is our Rock. 

Prayer:

Dear LORD, this world we find ourselves in has us on uneven and shaking ground at times. If your truth represents level ground, then definitely our world is tilted in comparison. But we know that you give us a strong and level foundation on which we can stand. Help us to straighten our lives using your truth as a measure of what’s right. We thank you, Lord, for being our Rock – the ground on which we should build our lives! We praise you in Jesus’ Name. Amen