MY Cornerstone!

Photo by Joel Filipe on Unsplash

As I write this series following Hurricane Sally, I’d love to encourage you to read the first post, Peace Over the Storms, here before you start this second post.

When a building is constructed, it has what is called a cornerstone to make it secure and give direction to the building. It unites two masonry walls and is the starting place for construction. It’s absolutely essential, or indispensable, to the building.

Personally, I am so grateful for the cornerstone in the 18 floor (we were on 16) condominium we were in while on vacation in Perdido Key when Hurricane Sally chose make landfall in the early hours of September 16. Never in my life, even, though my husband and I have previously ridden out two category 1 hurricanes on the Gulf, have I felt a huge building sway, shudder and shake as ours did. We knew we’d made a bad choice in not evacuating, but we weren’t alone since there was no mandated evacuation for Perdido Key! This was truly a storm with a mind of its own as to intensity and direction. Everyone was caught off guard.

There have only been a hand-full of times in my adult life that I feared for my life. Once in an airplane returning from a mission trip to Belize, Central America. Once when a security guard tried to enter my room in the middle of the night thinking it was vacant and an alarm was going off. (Gratefully my secure lock was engaged so it only opened as far as that latch would allow, although I didn’t know that at the time!) And then the hours of Hurricane Sally, raging as an almost category 3.

Praying all night for our own safety as well as the entire Gulf Coast did not remove my fear. During that time, I thought NEVER EVER again will we ride out a hurricane, or even a tropical storm! But, I was assured of where my husband and I would be if we did not live. Such an assurance that my “cornerstone” would hold up!

So, it’s no surprise that a week after Hurricane Sally, my study of Psalm 40 by Sarah Mae took me to the truth that Jesus is our cornerstone.

God works through everything in our lives to bring about His Truth He doesn’t want us to miss! It was such a reminder of why our condo building held up, although there was some major damage to several units. Without a strong foundation with a cornerstone, perhaps it no doubt would have collapsed.

Sarah Mae shared several passages in my study that reminded me of Jesus as my essential cornerstone for life: Ephesians 2:11-22, Isaiah 28:16, and Psalm 118:22-23. Like the two walls that are brought together in construction by a cornerstone, His dying on the cross for my sins brought unity between God and mankind! He also joined the old and new law so that Jesus was now the cornerstone for our faith. He united all followers of Christ, both Jew and Gentile by His sacrifice (see Ephesians 3:6).

And, just like in a building, this Cornerstone sets the direction for a life of faith. The entire construction has a foundation set by Him and His purpose for each of us. He is our rock. I wrote a post in 2018 on my focus theme for 2019 being God as my unshakeable rock. (God’s Word For Your Next Year). September 2020 has reminded me again of this sure solid Rock I can depend on. And even if His creation collapses in a storm, This Rock is secure. (Photo by Clayton Robbins on Unsplash)

I love this statement by Sarah Mae: “God the Father is our Rock. Jesus is the Cornerstone, the foundation that holds us all together and steadies us. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us into all truth. They all anchor us and hold us securely both now and eternally. We need all three.”

Isaiah 28:16 foreshadows Jesus’ coming to us: Therefore the Lord GOD said:
“Look, I have laid a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will be unshakable.”

He is a sure thing no matter what is happening in our life and in our world. I knew where my husband and I would be if we did not live through Sally. I would awake to His presence. That’s my security, my cornerstone, my sure rock. What’s yours? And if Jesus is your Savior, who else needs to know?

Watch for part 3 next week: More Lessons from Hurricane Sally and  Part 4: I Know I Know! posted the following week.

Banner photo by Milo Bunnik on Unsplash