Unshaken

Unshaken

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

Psalm 125:1

IN WORD We can be shaken. That’s a fact of human nature, proven by plenty of visual evidence all around us as well as by our own experiences. Sometimes trials come, problems overwhelm, and turmoil reigns. When that happens, we talk to family, friends, and counselors; we lie awake at night; we make lists of pros and cons or of resolutions that will keep us out of similar predicaments; and we pray our hearts out. None of those things is wrong. They are simply evidence of one undeniable fact: we can be shaken.

But God gives us a promise not just for the daily troubles that come up but for the once-in-a-lifetime crises that overwhelm us. Those who trust in Him cannot be shaken. Our emotions may be shaken, and our thoughts can be awfully jumbled. But our position in Christ as a child of our Father? Never. It isn’t shaken. His providence is certain and His promises sure. If we belong to Him, and if we believe in Him—really believe—we will endure forever. Through anything.

Many people can’t say that. That’s because they haven’t met the condition of this psalm. The implication of verse 1 is that if those who trust in the Lord cannot be shaken, those who don’t trust in Him can. The key is where we’ve fixed our faith. Like a mountain climber who fastens himself to a rocky face with ropes and spikes, those who trust in God have fixed themselves to an immovable object. Our trust is like the tools of the climber; as long as it binds us to God, we are secure on the mountain. We can’t fall, and we can’t be shaken.

IN DEED Have you considered whether your faith is the kind that binds you to the mountain? As you go through your trials, are you stepping on sandy slopes or driving spikes into solid rock? Trust God and never loosen your grip on your trust. You’ll soon find that He never loosens His grip on you.

Oh, how great peace and quietness would he possess who should cut off all vain anxiety and place all his confidence in God.

—THOMAS À KEMPIS