No Other Plea

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Also see 30+ Ideas for Promoting Hymn Singing in your church. As others have contributed ideas, this wonderful resource has grown to over 80 items now. And, for more than three dozen reasons why congregations should still use hymn books rather than merely projecting words on the wall, see The Value of Hymn Books.

Words: Eliza Edmunds Hewitt (b. June 28, 1851; d. Apr. 24, 1920)
Music: Landås, by André Ernest Modeste Grétry (b. Feb. 8, 1741; d. Sept. 24,1813); arranged by William James Kirkpatrick (b. Feb. 27, 1838; d. Sept. 20, 1921)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (for another article see here)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: This hymn is sometimes named after the first line, My Faith Has Found a Resting Place.

It must be exceedingly stressful to experience an earthquake. Our son Jim and his family live in Mexico City, where he and his wife Shari are missionaries. When a recent quake hit their area, he said the fridge was literally dancing across the floor. But other than jars falling off the shelves, and other minor damage, they came through it safely.

We get used to the ground (or the floors of our home) being steady and stable under our feet. When they’re suddenly not, it can be frightening. When I was a boy, we moved to a new house. And that evening I decided to go out and look at the backyard. It was quite dark, so I’m not sure what I expected to see. And suddenly the ground seemed to drop from beneath me and I fell, and slid, down a three-metre (10-foot) embankment to the edge of a small creek. No harm done, but it certainly scared me!

And another example: In our area, winter brings a number of recreational opportunities on lakes and ponds. Skating, hockey, snowmobiling, and ice fishing are popular. But until there has been a sufficient period of really cold weather, the ice is too thin, and venturing out on it can be dangerous. Again, we need to have a firm foundation underneath us.

The Bible has things to say about foundations, in both the physical and spiritual sense. Think first of the physical creation. God is the Maker of it all (Isa. 51:13). But the dominating philosophy in secular society is based on the theory of evolution. Evolutionists say all that we see around us, the intricate beauty of a flower, the wonder of the flight of a humming bird, the glory of the stars above, all that and more, simply came about by chance, out of nothing, over billions of years.

The evidence disproving this nonsense is there for anyone willing to consider it (Rom. 1:20). But reject God, and there are no reasonable answers to the question of origins. Then “they do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are unstable” (Ps. 82:5). And, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps. 11:3). An understanding of the natural world must begin with the first four words of the Bible: “In the beginning God…” (Gen. 1:1). He’s Foundation of it all.

And in the spiritual realm, “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 3:11). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (Jn. 14:6). The foundation of our salvation is the work of Christ on the cross. “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life” (I Jn. 5:13).

The Bible gives us certitude both regarding the created realm, and the subject of our soul’s salvation. It also gives us foundational teaching about daily living, and tells us how to please God (Ps. 119:105). And the physical and spiritual are intertwined. If everything just happened to come into existence by chance, then where do we look for consistent moral guidance? Each one’s opinion is as good as another. On the other hand, the One who created us has marked out a path for us.

“The solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity’” (II Tim. 2:19).

In 1891, prolific hymn writer Eliza Edmunds Hewitt published a song called No Other Plea that fits our theme. It speaks of what we are depending on as the foundation, not only of our lives now, but for all eternity. So many are trusting to money, job, or other things for “security,” when these can so easily let them down.

CH-1) My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the ever living One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

CH-2) Enough for me that Jesus saves,
This ends my fear and doubt;
A sinful soul I come to Him,
He’ll never cast me out.

CH-3) My heart is leaning on the Word,
The living Word of God,
Salvation by my Saviour’s name,
Salvation through His blood.

Questions:
1) Can you list a few inadequate things that some trust in as a foundation to build their lives upon?

2) Why is the Lord and His Word a far better foundation than these?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (for another article see here)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org