Intro Welcome back to The Morning Meditation Podcast. I’m Joe Consford, and today we’ll be reading Psalms 11 through 15. These chapters remind us that when the foundations of faith and society seem to crumble, God’s throne remains unmoved. Throughout history, God’s people have had to stand firm when everything around them fell apart. One such moment came in the early days of Baptist history—when standing for liberty of conscience could cost you your freedom, or even your life. 📖 Scripture Reading (Selected Verses from Psalms 11 – 15) If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven. — Psalm 11:3-4 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. — Psalm 12:6 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. — Psalm 14:1 LORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. — Psalm 15:1-2 📜 Story – “Obey God Rather Than Men: The Trial of Obadiah Holmes” In 1651, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was a Puritan stronghold where Baptists were viewed as dangerous heretics. Three men from Rhode Island — John Clarke, John Crandall, and Obadiah Holmes — traveled to Boston to visit a sick believer and hold a simple house meeting for prayer and Scripture reading. The service was peaceful — until the authorities burst through the door. All three men were arrested, accused of “conducting a Baptist meeting,” and hauled to jail. They were fined heavily and threatened with public whipping if they refused to recant. Friends quietly paid the fines for Clarke and Crandall, but Obadiah Holmes refused to let them pay his. He said, “To deny my Lord in this case, I dare not.” On a hot September day in Boston Common, Holmes was tied to a post and whipped with thirty lashes so brutal that his blood stained his shoes. Eyewitnesses record that he looked heavenward and declared, “You have struck me as with roses!” When they cut him loose, he could barely stand, but his faith was unshaken. The foundations of religious liberty in America were being laid through that pain. Holmes’s testimony inspired many others to stand for soul freedom and obedience to Christ above civil power. Like the Psalmist, he believed, “The LORD is in His holy temple.” Governments rise and fall, but the truth of God’s Word cannot be chained. 💭 Reflection Psalm 11 asks, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Obadiah Holmes answered that question by trusting God when earthly foundations failed. Psalm 12 assures us that the words of the Lord are pure and preserved forever. Psalm 15 teaches that the man who walks uprightly and speaks truth “shall never be moved.” The world’s systems may shake, but God’s Word and His people stand secure when their faith is built on Christ alone. 🙏 Outtro Thank you for joining me today on The Morning Meditation Podcast. Let’s close with Psalm 11:7 — For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright. Tomorrow we’ll move to Revelation Chapter 4, a majestic glimpse of worship around God’s throne. Until then, remember this — when the foundations shake, trust the One who never moves.