How Firm a Foundation
(We never sing the best verses.)
By Andrew Mair
A few years ago, I found my favorite hymn. I have a strong musical background. Music of all kinds was played and sung at my home, and I learned that favorites are tough to have with such a wide variety of secular and spiritual choices. I would tell others what I thought they wanted to hear. I told my scoutmaster my favorite hymn was “They, the Builders of the Nation.” To my seminary teacher, it was “A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief.” In reality, many hymns have moved me. It is hard to have a favorite, but when I am asked now, I can confidently say it is “How Firm a Foundation.”
This is one of those really long hymns, so we often only sing the first three verses. Sometimes, if a choir performs it, the seventh verse is added. This is unfortunate because the verses are profound. Each one talks about the trials we face throughout our lives; it figuratively talks about our families, our homes, our careers, our church callings, even the trials we inevitably face as we near the end of our lives. It’s no coincidence that the following scripture from Isaiah sounds so similar to the third verse:
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10)
Sometimes, this mortal world can put so much pressure on us that we feel like crumbling. That’s where I found myself in the fall of 2011. My employment was subpar and then non-existent, and my opportunities seemed dim. Because of my employment status, our family finances were strained to their limits and beyond.
Finally, I found an opportunity, but it took me away to upstate New York for three months. I found myself engulfed in some severe anxiety. Separation anxiety still plagues me, but at this particular time, it was very potent. I struggled and fought it in those first weeks of my assignment, hanging on because my job was essential for my family.
On a beautiful fall Saturday, I decided to take a drive to Palmyra. It was only about two hours from where I was staying in Rome, NY. As I spent the day walking the grounds of the sacred grove, I felt my anxiety dissipate. While in the woods, I started to pray. I felt uplifted beyond what I had expected when leaving that morning, but I also felt like there was more, and I should leave my prayer open. It felt strange not to close a prayer, but a thought came to me, “If you leave now, you can make it to the Adult Session of Stake Conference.” It wasn’t my Stake Conference; my Stake Conference was across the country, but I couldn’t mistake the prompting. I drove the two hours and made it just before the session began. I was pleased to discover that several general authorities, including apostle David A. Bednar, were there due to a stake reorganization. Elder Bednar was eloquent as always.
As the closing hymn was about to begin, he rose, returned to the pulpit, and announced, to the apparent chagrin of the organist, that he would be changing the closing hymn to “How Firm a Foundation,” instructing us to pay close attention to the lyrics.
We started singing, and all was normal until we reached the third verse.
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, omnipotent hand.
Waves of emotion came streaming out of me. I couldn’t even sing because of the tears, my heart burst out of my chest. I just kept following along with the text as best as I could through my watery eyes. Overcome with joy, emotion, and the love of my Savior, I could do little as the congregation sang.
I’m sure I dumbfounded the strangers surrounding me. I was this unknown brother standing there with my heart gaping open-I am not a quiet crier. I felt that everything would be okay, as long as I turned to my Savior. I felt the spirit lighten the load I was carrying. I felt loved and protected. I felt my Savior with me.
As I returned to my flat, I was exhausted, yet renewed. I continued to miss home, but my soul was unburdened compared to previous days. I had a new outlook on the experience and began to see ways that being in in Rome, NY would not only help me professionally but spiritually as well. Professionally speaking, new opportunities arose, and the experience didn’t just save us in the short term but continues to bless us even now.
You see, I was not as alone as it seemed when I ventured out that morning. “Two is better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9) is true, but it is even better when one is the Savior. My wife and I talked every night on the phone. We somehow found that we could be connected through the miles that separated us, and when I returned, we grew closer in our love and friendship.
I find it interesting that in the hymn, “How Firm A Foundation”, the majority of the verses are written as if Christ is speaking to us, starting with “Fear not, I am with thee” to the end, reminding me of the words Isaiah wrote about Him:
He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. (Isaiah 53:3-4)
I know God lives. I know Jesus Christ is our Savior. I know he has set up his Church in ancient times and has likewise organized his church today. That entity is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He has called a prophet on the earth. His prophet Joseph Smith, while living here on this earth, not only reorganized the ancient church into the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints but translated the Book of Mormon from an ancient text.
This is my foundation. This is what keeps me grounded. The author of the hymn starts with letting us know that the foundations of the Gospel are the scriptures, but then throughout the remaining verses expounds on how the Atonement of Christ is present and active in our lives. He says it so plainly in the first verse. So I echo in my heart the words of this hymn and each time I sing it, I find my “deepest distress” swallowed up in the music.
From the sacred grove to the testimonies of servants of God, and the overwhelming evidence of the Spirit. I know I am not alone; I have His constant guidance, direction, and companionship.
I am his Son.
(If you please, go here to read the entire lyrics)
Oh, Andy you such an amazing man. I am privileged to have known you. Thank you for your heartfelt testimony.