How firm a foundation, producing abundant fruit of suffering

We’re moving to a smaller and more manageable one-story home this week. Our Lord made it clear to my husband and me that it’s time for this change. God has helped me quickly downsize and prune possessions from 39 years of marriage, raising children, and a multifaceted music career. The house sale and tasks have been exhausting in every way, filled with decision-fatigue, physical pain, and much loss and grief. Nothing has felt firm, with constantly changing unknowns and scary bumps along the way.

There has been one song that He’s used to carry me through each day. It’s the same song that carried me through raising our little daughters in years of progressive disability with an undiagnosed brainstem herniation, through simultaneous, multiple moves for my husband’s job changes, through every phase of parenting, through neurological rehab work following my recent second brain surgery. 

In every condition, in every change, in every pain, loss, and suffering, He’s comforted and strengthened me by singing His Word’s promises contained in “How Firm a Foundation.” May He comfort you in your own losses and changes as we pray God’s Word together, beloved in Christ.

Abundant fruit of suffering, in God’s sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love

Father, Son, Holy Spirit,

I don’t feel very “fruity” today. I’m tired. Weak.

The suffering is strong. I know You know my frame.¹ You know my desire to “bear fruit” even “in old age” as one of Your “full of sap and green” beloved in Christ.²

“E’en down to old age, all my people shall prove

My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;

And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,

Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.³

Abundant fruit of suffering, through God’s pruning and strengthening love

Vinedresser, as I abide in Your Fatherly love, remind me of Your promise that Jesus is the vine. I’m just a branch. Fruit grows in Your pruning. In this pruning of dependent exhaustion, I’m experiencing Your true promise:

In every condition – in sickness, in health,

In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;

At home, or abroad, on the land, on the sea,

“As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.”

Freeing fruit of suffering, God’s further freeing me from idolatries

Thank You for the abundant fruit You grow in my suffering. 

It all began with repentance. You blotted out my transgressions for Your own sake, and You “will not remember my sins.”⁴ What a precious and very great promise to my hurting heart!⁵ As I suffer, help me to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance.”⁶ Continue to give me Your abundant fruit of freedom from my idolatries, like my desires for human approval, for comfort and ease in this life. Give me Your abundant blessing of humility and contentment.

“Fear not, I am with thee; O be not dismayed;

I, 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.“

Into today’s suffering, give me Your freeing fruit of dying to sin and living to righteousness.⁷ In finding all my security, worth, and life purpose as You did, Jesus. 

Abundant fruit of suffering? Becoming more like Jesus, further sanctified by grace

Jesus, Your food was “to do the will” of our Father and to “accomplish His work.”⁸

His work? 

Suffering. 

In my place. 

I don’t want to be conformed to this world, but to “be transformed by the renewal of [my] mind, that by testing [I] may discern what is [Your] will, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”⁹ Help me. Strengthen the faith You’ve given me, to the very end.

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

My Savior, my God, my Lord, thank You for being my firm foundation in every change. Thank You for producing Your abundant fruit in every suffering, until that glorious day. As part of my sanctification. Yes, it’s Your promise. In Your sanctifying name, amen. 

Material adapted from:

A playlist to sing God’s encouraging promises when we need His strength, His abundant fruit, His blessing in our suffering

As a retired music therapist, I know how powerfully He uses worship music to help our bodies, minds, emotions and souls. I’ve professionally curated a special playlist of His Word’s hope-filled promises to us, responding in praise to Him into our suffering’s exhaustion. It will be on repeat for me as He helps me slowly unpack our stuff and re-create a new home this week! I know He will grow abundant fruit, His blessing, in any suffering it brings. Because He promises this! 

Sister in Christ, if you’re exhausted by earthly suffering too, perhaps this will be His gift to you as well? Sign up below, and it will come to your email with my love and prayers.

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For more resources of the nonprofit ministry of Singing Christ’s Hope:

1. Psalm 103:14 ↩︎
2. Psalm 92:14 ↩︎
3. “How Firm a Foundation,” K., 1787 ↩︎
4. Isaiah 43:25 ↩︎
5. 2 Peter 1:4 ↩︎
6. Matthew 3:8 ↩︎
7. 1 Peter 2:24 ↩︎
8. John 4:34 ↩︎
9. Romans 12:2 ↩︎