Imagine for a moment a time in your life when you were walking in a muddy field or along a muddy path. As you continue your trek, you notice your shoes are unable to get traction as you continue to walk along. You find yourself slipping and maybe even falling as you continue to walk and the weight of your shoes becomes nearly unbearable. You finally see a sidewalk, parking lot, driveway, rocks or stump in the distance and you cannot wait to get to a spot where you can kick off some of the mud and stand on more stable ground. As you finally get to the spot, you take a deep breath, scrape off the mud and rest on the knowledge that you have reached stable, less slippery land.

As we continue in Psalm 40:2b we read, "He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand." We have looked at the pits we experience in our lives. Some of those pits seem deeper and more daunting to overcome, but we have seen that God is faithful to hear our cry and to lift us out of the miry pit. The beautiful thing, though, is when God lifts us out of that pit God does not leave us at the slippery edge telling us to try to keep our feet underneath us. Rather, God places our feet on a firm foundation where we can stand confidently. When we are standing on the rock, we can face the storms of life with confidence that our house (our life) can stand firm.

In Matthew 7:25 we read, "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." When Jesus came, he reaffirmed the reality of a foundation on which we can stand that is firm in the midst of our difficult times in life. We can rest assured that this rock will continue to be a firm and secure foundation to provide for us. In Hebrews 12:28 we read, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'"

Have you put your full trust in God to be your "firm foundation"? Are you trusting God's provision for your life that God does not leave us on "slippery ground," but places us on a firm foundation? Is your life built on the rock or are you trying to build on the shifting sand of our world? I pray you will know in your heart the firmness of this foundation. I pray you will experience the ability to face the difficulties of this life as you stay firmly walking on the rock.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for pulling us from the pit and setting our feet on the rock. We thank you that you do not leave us on the slippery ground surrounding the pit, but you give us a firm place to stand. We thank you that this firm place to stand cannot be shaken. May your grace continue to build our faith each day that we will not step off the rock seeking our own way. Amen.