I Will Not Be Shaken

In 2009 God blessed us with a trip to Scotland. One of the days we toured the Blackhouse village of Gearrannan. Winds were blowing at 70 mph. I have pictures of us laughing as we tried to keep our balance against the wind with our arms outstretched. I don’t think we were able to keep our feet planted for more than a few seconds, but even when we did manage to keep our feet anchored, our upper bodies waved around like a flag. There was no way not to be shaken.

Although our Scotland wind adventure is a fun memory, in our Christian walk we don’t want our faith shaken, tossed around and uprooted. The youth group we worked with in Las Vegas picked Psalm 16:8 as their theme.

I have set the LORD always before me;

because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Verse 8 shows the psalmist’s, David’s, purposefulness to live for and in God’s presence. But what led to his confidence that he would not be shaken? Let’s start at the beginning of the Psalm to learn from the five ways that David trusted God. Take a few minutes to read Psalm 16 and while you’re at it, write down all the “God is” truths (characteristics of God).

First, David trusted God by relying on Him alone. In verse 1, David asks God to preserve him. He calls God his refuge or protection (vs 1) and his Lord or Master (vs 2). In verse 2, David acknowledges that he has no good apart from God. David is completely dependent and reliant on God. He knows that relying on himself or others is fruitless. Like David, we need to rely completely on God. Our own (or other’s) strength and wisdom will fail. God will never fail. He is faithful. He is sovereign. He is good. He alone is our refuge. In those Scotland winds, a refuge would have protected us against the wind and kept us from being shaken.

Second, David trusted God by being completely devoted to Him. In verses 3 and 4, we see a contrast between saints – godly people, devoted to the Lord – and those who run after other gods. David calls the saints “excellent ones” or heroes. Devotion to God should characterize those who belong to Him. David states that these saints or excellent ones are a delight to him. This is a reminder to me of the blessing of other brothers and sisters in Christ. We encourage, build each other up and hold each other accountable to staying devoted to God. When we are devoted to God, our devotion is anchored in the one Person who is unshakeable.

Third, David trusted God by delighting in Him. In verses 5 and 6, David calls the Lord his chosen portion and cup. He confessed that God held his lot and that God had given him a beautiful inheritance. The language in these verses reflects back to Israel receiving their allotted portion of the promised land, but instead of land, David says that God Himself is David’s portion, his inheritance, his blessing. David’s delight is in God (who He is) not what God gives or does (although David often expresses gratitude for those blessings). When we delight in God, we remember who He is, and who we are in Him. We will not fear being shaken when we remember who our God is.

Fourth, David trusted God by being teachable. In verse 7, he blesses God for giving Him counsel and even instructing him throughout the night. This is such an amazing concept to me. As we learn from God and praise or bless Him in our awake hours, our inner being then uses that to instruct us throughout the night. I don’t have a clue how that works itself out, but God’s Word says it is so. Verse 11 further says that God makes known the path of life. If we trust God, we will be continually learning from Him and His Word. We will remain teachable. When we are grounded in God’s Word, we will know what is right. God’s Spirit will guide us, and we will not be shaken.

Fifth, David trusted God by rejoicing in Him. In verses 9-11, David reveals the fruit from the first four ways of trusting God. The first four grow and ground our knowledge of who God is (did you write out your “God is” list?). This results in praising God. David describes his whole being rejoicing (vs 9). This isn’t half-hearted praise. It is, as my youth group kiddos would say, full send praise as when David danced before God as the Ark of the Covenant was brought into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:16). When our whole being is praising God, we are focused on God alone not our circumstances, and we will not be shaken.

This morning in my reading, I found this quote by Ezekiel Hopkins that tied in. “Not one particle of dust moves on a well-travelled road, but God raises it, directs its motion, and directs it to the specific place He appointed for it. The strongest wind cannot move it from its appointed place.” (Voices From the Past, Volume 1, page 223) As we trust God by relying on Him alone, being devoted to Him, delighting in Him, learning from Him, and rejoicing in Him, we will not be shaken. It is only by God’s sovereign hand that that we are moved and that by His perfect design and purpose.

There are days when we will fail to trust God. We won’t rely on Him alone, be devoted to Him, delight in Him, learn from Him or rejoice in Him. But we have a Savior who did trust God perfectly. Every single moment Jesus trusted His Father. He relied on the Father alone. Satan tried to temp Jesus to use His divine nature for His own benefit (rocks to bread, angels to save rescue Him – Matthew 4:1-11), but Jesus relied on His Father and trusted His Word. Jesus was completely devoted to the Father. He never chased after other things. He delighted in His Father and spending time with Him. He willingly submitted to His Father’s plan even unto death. He rejoiced in His Father, glorifying Him in everything. Because Jesus did, those who are in Christ have His perfect record of trusting God. That is reason to rejoice!

Reflection

1. What situations do you tend to rely on yourself or others instead of relying on God alone?

2. How does your life reflect devotion to God alone? What or who are you devoted to instead of God?

3. What about God delights you?

4. Are you daily learning from God? How? What can you do to cultivate learning more?

5. What can you rejoice in God or praise God for today?