Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand (1906)
By: Jennie B. Wilson (1856 – 1913)
Listen to this instrumental version as you prepare to ponder this hymn. Please make certain to enjoy the video below.
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Transcript may be found below, at the end of the blog.
We begin our journey through this hymn which challenges us to build on the certainty of God in uncertain days. All of us are facing a greater degree of uncertainty than we were months ago, but holding to God gives us far greater certainty than not. Let’s tune our hearts.
Sands of Time
Time. There is no stopping it. Like a great hourglass that has been overturned and is both slowly and swiftly sifting along, time halts for no one.
That indiscriminate plodding is no respecter of people great or small. It simply keep s moving forward and each of must find a way to deal with the effects it has on us universally. Have you felt the shifting of the sands of time in your life lately? Whether COVID-19, the social unrest, the upcoming election, or something else very intimate or personal, you are probably well aware that things are swiftly transition to some different state.
Time is filled with swift transition,
Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 ESV
If you have lived for very long at all you know the reality that things in life can change very quickly, and often without any input from you. Time and chance are the great equalizers. They happen to every one of us. Since there is no avoiding them, the only real alternative to simply becoming a victim of them is to find a way to deal with their effects.
Holding to God’s unchanging hand is unquestionably the best way to deal with them. I say unquestionably because ever other means of coping will fail you at some point, but God will not.
RESONATE!
What is that circumstance that you are tempted to hold and not release to God? If you are holding it with both hands, how do you suppose you will be able to hold to God’s hand? Determine today that you will let go of the things that otherwise would keep you from holding His unchanging hand. Time brings swift transitions but holding to God is your best source of help. Ask Him to be that source again today.
Shifting Sand
Those swift transitions of time unsettle every one of us at some point. We often try to struggle against the shifting under our feet trying to find some sure footing. This hymn puts it bluntly. “None of us is able to stand through all those transitions.”
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Taken as a singular truth that would be pretty disheartening. We should always be careful when considering a declaration like this whether in a song or Scripture to examine the context. In our song, the writer is going to quickly point us to where to find hope in the midst of that uncertainty. The Scripture always does the same.
When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah Psalm 75:3 ESV
With the swift transitions and the shifting landscape, it is hard to stand unmoved. Actually impossible, but for God. It would be like struggling against the shifting sands of a desert landscape, or even a spot of quicksand. But we find hope in God. He is the One who holds the earth steady and is able to steady us as well when everything we have been standing on seems to erode.
RESONATE!
What has shifted under your feet recently? You probably do not have to think much about that. Finances, relationships, health, so many things have been effected these last few months. But God has plans even for those unsettling experiences. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen to what God is saying when the sands of change shift under your feet. Take a few moments right now to let Him interpret the shifting you have been going through lately. Then give Him praise you never have to do so alone.
Jesus, thank You for being a steady constant when every other thing in our lives is shifting. You are so faithful and so good. Help me to trust You as time brings transitions into my life and I am unable to stand. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Solid Tuning!
Keep coming back, and we will work to help you remove the things that may hinder your longing for His return by cultivating an awareness of God’s presence. We will help you tune your heart to live out your worship by providing resources like this to help you acknowledge the greatness of God as you become more Resonant, 7 days a week.
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Video 19.1 Transcript
Welcome to Tuesday Tunings at Resonant 7, where we reflect on the reality of God and resolve to let it resound in our lives, repeatedly. Let’s tune our hearts.
Time is filled with swift transition,
Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
If you have lived for very long at all you know the reality that things in life can change very quickly, and often without any input from you. Whether you are in the midst of a transition right now or not, thank God that you never have to face them alone.
Thank You God that I never have to face transitions alone.
Those transitions unsettle every one of us at some point. We can say “I shall not be moved”, but sometimes God has other plans which He does not reveal that ahead of time. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you listen to what God is saying when the sands of change shift under your feet.
Holy Spirit help me to listen to Your voice.
Even when everything else is shifting we can still choose to build our hopes on eternal things, things that last even in the storms of life. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you today how you can build on the foundation of God’s word and His love for you.
Holy Spirit, help me build on God’s word and love for me.
Sometimes in order to hold onto God we need to let go of something else. It can be so painful and fearful to release something into His unchanging hands, especially something you thought you would always hold, but you can trust Him. Ask Jesus to help you trust Him more today.
Jesus, help me trust you more today
Take a few moments to talk to Jesus about what has surfaced in your heart, or just listen to what He is saying to you, then we will sing once more.
Sing
Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
Build your hopes on things eternal,
Hold to God’s unchanging hand.
Take the awareness of God’s presence cultivated in these last few minutes into the next ones and beyond. Until next time, be Resonant.
The post Dealing with the Shifting Sands of Life appeared first on Resonant 7.
Image Attributions
Sands of Time – https://pixabay.com/illustrations/hourglass-time-sand-run-out-3308818/
Shifting Sand – https://pixabay.com/photos/arid-barren-dawn-desert-dry-hot-1866541/
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