Honest With God: Finding Healing and Wholeness Through the PsalmsНамуна

My friend pastors a church located on the side of a hill. When he asked for prayer for some upcoming building improvements the church needed to make, I learned about how hard they had worked, even to open the building in the first place.

The soil in that area had a settlement issue, which led to foundation problems in a nearby significant housing development. When the church was first built on their property, they dug incredibly deep posts into the side of that hill to ensure that no settling would occur when their foundation was poured. Their foundation had to be strong to withstand the power of the shifting soil.

King David understood the vital importance of a solid foundation. In Psalm 18, he declares, "I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold." (Psalm 18:1-2 NIV)

Notice the construction metaphors David uses: rock, fortress, stronghold. These aren't decorative elements – they're foundational structures designed to withstand storms, attacks, and the test of time.

At times, my experience as a pastor has felt like one of those homes that discovered foundation issues. There were people I thought I could count on who surprised me by walking away. The commitments people made to me cracked and fell apart. The investment we made in people and the trust we cultivated didn’t seem to matter when they left our church without a word!

Here's what we see David sharing in the Psalms. When your foundation is built on anything other than God's unchanging character, you'll spend your life constantly trying to shore up the cracks. People will disappoint you, break their word, and hurt you deeply. When you base your value on the view of others, you'll exhaust yourself managing your image, controlling others' opinions, and trying to earn the love you already possess from God.

In Psalm 62, David reinforces this theme: "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2 NIV)

"I will never be shaken.” David didn’t speak these words because his circumstances were always stable, but because his foundation was. David was not resolute because his life was problem-free; instead, his security was anchored in something unshakeable.

The question isn't whether storms will come to test your foundation. As my dad taught me, "we are all either heading into, in the middle of, or coming out of a crisis." The question is: what are you building your life on? Performance or grace? Others' opinions or God's truth? Your strength or His?

As we move into week 2 of this plan, we will examine the foundation of your life. If we’re going to become healthy and whole, we need to explore what’s happening beneath the surface.