There’s A Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On

I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.

Psalm 16:8

It sounds funny now, but this fifties song by Jerry Lee Lewis actually came to mind when a 5.8-magnitude earthquake hit my neck of the woods. Measurable earthquakes are rare in Virginia. The tremors struck without warning. I didn’t have time to run for the bathtub, so I just shook and waited.

Although the unsettled floor beneath my feet felt strange, I didn’t panic. My spirit remained calm, thanks to the Holy Spirit’s power. I was not really alone. I know the Bible’s promise in today’s verse—that the Lord was right beside me. Repeatedly in His Word, He says that He will be ever present with His children.

It seems that every day there is some natural disaster happening somewhere in our world. Sometimes I catch myself wondering what I would do if I were caught in the midst of a devastating, seemingly hopeless catastrophe. Then I remember that God will be present in those crises, too, and my fears subside. We cannot get away from His presence; we cannot escape His watchful care over us. Because I belong to God, if the earth swallowed me one moment, I would be looking directly at the face of God the next.

Today’s verse comes from what I call Psalm Sweet 16. No matter how much shaking is going on in our lives—financially, emotionally, physically, spiritually—we can confidently trust God. The Lord wants us not only to survive whatever we’re going through but to truly thrive in His abundant presence even more deeply during shaky times.

He is our solid Rock who will keep us grounded now and forever. I like that it says in Psalm 18:36 from The Message: “You cleared the ground under me so my footing was firm.”

Read Psalm 16:11 out loud, confidently repeating David’s words: “You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.”