Never Shaken
Today’s scripture selection: Psalms 111-113
Key verses: Psalm 112:6-8
On any given day there are plenty of things that can shake us up.
Unexpected
- Illness
- Crime
- Job changes
- Family crises
- Change of almost any type
That’s why Psalm 112 offers some particularly comforting counsel:
“Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.”
Does it mean we go through life with some naïve attitude? Are we never to prepare for trouble – unexpected or otherwise?
No, I don’t think the Scripture calls us to be so cavalier about life. But I do think it calls us to remember who is in charge of the universe.
It’s all about having what the Psalmist calls a “secure” heart.
It means to be grounded in the knowledge that God doesn’t let his children struggle for no reason or ultimate purpose.
Is life full of hardship that we find difficult to explain? Yes. But are we left to abandon hope and succumb to some fatalistic attitude? No. Not if we take our faith, and God’s promises, seriously.
So don’t let life “shake” you. Live in the secure knowledge that you are loved. It can carry you a long, long way.
Prayer: Heavenly father, in uncertain and difficult times, may I always remember and trust in your ever certain love. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. “Elpis” is the Greek word for “expectant hope.” He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a member of Spiritual Directors International. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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