Secured to a Stable Foundation

​About thirty miles off the Alaskan mainland there is an island on the Bering Sea called Nunivak Island. It should be no surprise that there is only one inhabited village on the island that is on the north coast. Weather is always a challenge with frequent rain, snow, fog, and gale-force winds. Nearly all the permanent residents of Nunivak (about 200) live in the village called Mekoryuk. Most of the natives are Cup’it Eskimos. They are used to living a subsistence lifestyle. A dilapidated building served as the island's only church meeting place. It came to the attention of the organization, Samaritan's Purse, who decided to build a new church on the island.
 
You may wonder how a church came to be built on such an isolated island. An Inupiaq missionary named Jacob Kenick visited Nunivak in the mid-1930s. As he preached the Gospel, mass conversions took place. However, it was not until the early 1960s that a church building was constructed. The structure left much to be desired as it was too small for the congregation and quickly deteriorated and became difficult to heat. Under the umbrella of Samaritan's Purse, volunteers from twenty-six states came together to build a new church in the summer of 2024. The 4,000 square-foot building was successfully completed in October 2024 and quickly became a year-round meeting place for the entire village.
 
Imagine the challenges of getting material for construction to the remote island! One of the greatest ones was placing a foundation on the ground that could withstand the yearly freeze and thaw. The one that was used is called a triodetic foundation. Made of engineered steel or aluminum, its rigid platform sits on top of the soil and keeps the building level even when the soil is heaving and settling. These foundations can support heavy commercial, multi-story buildings. They are strong enough to withstand flooding, permafrost, and difficult soils.
 
How this speaks to me when I think about the shakings that are going on in our nation and around the world. All of us need to be secured to a stable foundation. The stability for our times can only come from the Lord. This is what Isaiah, the prophet, tells us. "He shall be a sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure." (Isaiah 33:6) We must never forget that God is our eternal foundation. It is also interesting to note that both Psalm 89:14 and Psalm 97:2 describe the foundation of the Lord's throne as righteousness and justice. Isaiah quotes the Lord when he says, "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken." (Isaiah 28:16 - NLT) What a promise!
 
When Jesus was speaking to the crowd of people about the wise and foolish builders, He told them to be like the wise man who built his house on a rock. "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." (Matthew 7:25)
 
Only the Lord can provide the foundation that we need for stability throughout our lives. Circumstances of life battle against our faith, but we cannot allow difficulties to move us off our foundation. We become securely attached to our precious Cornerstone through our faith in Him.