Read: Philippians 4:1-9
Stand firm thus in the Lord. (v. 1)
One of my favorite hymns goes like this: “On Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” Although Paul didn’t sing these words, I believe this is what he means when he tells us to “stand firm” (v. 1). These ringing words come as Paul concludes his letter to the Philippians. In the wake of a sobering call to suffer with Christ, and after a summons to die to self, Paul begins to point us toward the wild hope of new creation and the glory that is to come. And he does so by commanding us to “stand firm.”
When the cultural winds batter against you, when the pressures of life push you down, when the ache of a world gone wrong is like a gut punch bringing you to your knees—in all this and more, stand firm. This is not a belligerent, obstinate, angry disposition of defiance, but rather a gracious posture of hope that trusts unswervingly in the work Christ accomplished on the cross.
The central action of God’s work in the world is Jesus Christ, and Christ emptied himself; Christ humbled himself; Christ gave himself up. Standing firm is to stand with Christ. And Christ washed feet. Christ serves the overlooked. Christ loves and forgives and receives all the fury of an angry world upon himself in order to redeem the world. Let us then stand firm on Christ, our solid rock.
As you pray, ask God to give you the strength to stand firm in every circumstance.
Co-authored by Rev. Jon Brown and Justin Kuiper.
Jon Brown is the lead pastor of Pillar Church in Holland, Michigan. Jon loves preaching and loves walking with people through all of life’s circumstances. He loves to invite people to follow Jesus in community on mission. Jon and his beloved wife, Kristyn, are the proud parents of four daughters.
Justin Kuiper is a student from Holland, Michigan, studying English literature at Hope College. His own writing explores the many intersections of faith, storytelling, and the created order.
