July 12

O afflicted city, lashed by storms, without solace, surely I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. — Isa 54:11 BSB

Before we can stand firm in the things of God, we need a solid foundation—something for our faith, hope, love, and everything else to rest upon. This is what God promises to provide for his afflicted Zion: “I will lay your foundations with sapphires.” As Scripture says, “A gift is a precious stone in the eyes of him that has it.” Every testimony from God, every promise he plants in the heart, every revelation of mercy, every touch of love or truth, is like a sapphire—a precious stone, radiant with heaven’s own light. When God lays these sapphires in the soul, they become a firm foundation for faith. Since they are laid by God’s own hand, they are immovable; since they are sapphires, they are indestructible.

Even though these sapphires may sometimes be buried under the filth and corruption of our fallen nature, their nature doesn’t change. Their value is not diminished, their hue remains untarnished, and their beauty never fades. Though hidden for a time, one ray from the Sun of righteousness can bring them back into view; one touch from the Polisher’s hand can restore all their brilliance. Just as grace has no fellowship with sin, a diamond has no connection with an ash heap.