The Key of Keys

                                                The Key of Keys

In Washington, DC near the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge there is a nondescript stone well with a small historical marker beside it.  There is a manhole cover on top of it and a ladder inside of it.  Sixteen feet below the surface is a rock.  Braddock’s Rock.  It marks the place where General Braddock first landed, on April 14, 1755 and it’s the oldest landmark in the nation’s capital.

Braddock was a British General who was sent to bolster the colonies in the French and Indian War.  He was wounded and later died at the ill-fated battle of Monongahela.  However, his young aide, George Washington, distinguished himself by his bravery in that battle and would eventually become the Commander of the colonial forces in the Revolutionary War and our first president.

​According to legend some of that rock was used as a foundation stone for the White House and Capitol.  But the true significance of that stone is that it served as the starting point for the earliest surveys of Washington, DC.  On old maps it’s inscribed as the Key of Keys.  That was the name given to Braddock’s Rock because it established the coordinate system for the entire city.  Every principal meridian and baseline was measured from that initial point.
 
What is the Key of Keys for your life and mine?  What’s our starting point?  How do we determine right from wrong?  How do we discern what is true and what is not?  Can we trust the news media?  Do we go by the latest opinion polls?  Can we build our lives upon the logic and certainty of science?  Where do we find our starting point?    
 
For me, the Key of Keys, has always been God’s Word.  It’s not only the beginning point, it is the final authority when it comes to matters of faith and doctrine.  I believe the Bible to be the inspired Word of God – Truth with a capital T.
 
Whenever the noise and the opinions of the world seem to bring confusion I go back to ground zero.  I dig into the Word until I find something solid to stand upon.
 
I love the second verse of Russell Kelso Carter’s great hymn:  Standing on the Promises
 
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God.
Refrain:
Standing, standing,
Standing on the promises of God my Savior;
Standing, standing,
I’m standing on the promises of God.
 
Spend some time each day in God’s Word.  You’ll be amazed at how the fog and confusion of our crazy world will dissipate.
 
Have a great week!
Pastor Barry
 
 
 
If you would like to comment or if you have questions for Pastor Barry you may direct those to bglawson75@gmail.com.   We would love to hear from you.