How Firm a Foundation

We sang the song "How Firm a Foundation" this morning in Sacrament Meeting. I really love this song- I do not love that we only sing the first three verses. There are some wonderful words of wisdom and healing in the other four verses. I understand that as a whole, we as congregations have very small attention spans and get bored with singing. I am of the opinion, though, that if we would delve more into the meaning of the words that we are singing, instead of day dreaming about the roast and potatoes we are going to consume when we get home, we would be more edified in our meetings. I am also of the opinion that the we would feel more that our prayers are being heard, often the Lord will use the songs of worship as a way for the Spirt to touch our hearts and prepare them for answers.

This is one of those songs for me. It is all about the Lord being there for us when we need Him, being our leaning arm, our source of tranquility, our guidance, our companion and healer.

My favorite word in this hymn would have to be the word Succor.
Succor derives from Latin succurrere, "to run under, to run or hasten to the aid or assistance of someone,"1

Now I don't know about you, but when I am troubled or sad, or tired or whatever my day has brought me and I feel the need of my Savior's help, I don't want Him to come if He has the time or feels like it or if He gets around to it. No, at the very least I want His comfort and I want it now. (demanding mortal that I am) But the fact that the Lord has told us that He will succor us, tells us that He will indeed hasten to come to give us whatever it is that we are in need of at the very moment that we are in need of it.

Behold, and hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, your advocate, who knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted. Doctrine and Covenants 62:1

What about the word Sacntify? From the Latin sanctificare "to make holy," from sanctus "holy"2

So, when again I am having a bit of strife, it is ok because those things that I see as being hard, difficult, unbearable, the Lord will take and sanctify them. In other words, they will be made holy unto the Lord, they can be set apart and be used as a blessing to shape me into the person I was sent here to become.

What about dross in verse 5? . The scum or refuse matter which is thrown off, or falls from, metals in smelting the ore, or in the process of melting; recrement.3
(dad, do you use this term at the mine?)

So it would appear that all those parts of us that are not sanctified, can be taken away and removed from us. I would dare say that it is the day to day process of living and being knocked about with hardship that causes this refinement, but I also believe that the atonement will take care of whatever is left over after refinement by life is done.

How about verse 7 and the word Repose? peace; tranquillity; calm. 4

Here we are being told that there is no way ever that the Lord will abandon us. Not after we have called to Him, He has come quickly to our aid, He has refined us and sanctified us and made us His. Not after He has calmed our troubled hearts and given us peace. No, He is our place of refuge and will ever be if we but make Him the foundation of our life.

How Firm a Foundation
Hymns, no. 85

1. 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,Who unto the Savior, who unto the Savior,Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?


2. In ev’ry condition—in sickness, in health,In poverty’s vale or abounding in wealth,At home or abroad, on the land or the sea—As thy days may demand, as thy days may demand,As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be.


3. Fear not, I am with thee; oh, 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, upheld by my righteous,Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.


4. When through the deep waters I call thee to go,The rivers of sorrow shall not thee o’erflow,For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,And sanctify to thee, and sanctify to thee,And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.


5. When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.The flame shall not hurt thee; I only designThy dross to consume, thy dross to consume,Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.


6. E’en down to old age, all my people shall proveMy sov’reign, eternal, unchangeable love;And then, when gray hair shall their temples adorn,Like lambs shall they still, like lambs shall they still,Like lambs shall they still in my bosom be borne.


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


Text: Attr. to Robert Keen, ca. 1787. Included in the first LDS hymnbook, 1835.
Music: Attr. to J. Ellis, ca. 1889
Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 43:2–5
Helaman 5:12