Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Standing Firm

(Today I am participating again in Rachel Olsen's devotional carnival....click here to read other bloggers' thoughts and insights on the topic of STABILITY! :) )

And he shall be like a tree firmly planted (and tended) by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf shall not fade or wither, and everything he does shall prosper (and come to maturity).  Psalms 1:3 Amplified




 When I consider the word stability, many different things come to mind - financial stability, a stable home life, emotional stability, etc.  But I believe we can and should also have stability as a follower of Christ, a child of God, which should rest not in our external circumstances but in our relationship with Jesus and our obedience to hear and do what God speaks to us on a personal level.    For some, that may appear the opposite of the world views of stability.  For example, our seasons differ, one may be called to stay in one place their entire life while another may be called to pioneer many different things in many different areas throughout their life.  Or one may encounter various trials or storms in their life, including their finances or marriage, appearing to be unstable.  But I believe that as our seasons and circumstances change, we receive from God the tools and the grace we need to complete whatever task He has called us to or to handle whatever obstacle we face.  The stability in our relationship with Him will be displayed and apparent no matter where we are physically. 

Dictionary.com defines stability as:

  • the state or quality of being stable

  • firmness in position

  • continuance without change; permanence

  • steadfastness; constancy, as of character or purpose
As I ponder these definitions, I am reminded of the scripture from Psalms at the beginning of this post.  We shall be like a tree firmly planted by the streams of water.  The verse immediately before this one says "...his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night."

When we meditate on the Word day and night and our delight and desire are in the law of the Lord.....our thoughts begin to line up with His, our faith increases, we begin to believe the impossible, our heart is renewed, we have joy and peace in the midst of our difficulties.....then will we be like a tree firmly planted by the streams of water!  This doesn't mean that our external circumstances immediately line up and become perfect or that all of our problems magically disappear.  But that whatever circumstance or problem we face, we handle it all the same, believing what the Word of God says and not wavering from His truth, standing firm.  That is stability.

"I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." Psalm 16:8

I pray that whatever you may be facing today, that you are able to cling to your Father, holding on to His Word for your life, and standing firm in your faith.  That you will be like a tree firmly planted by the streams of water!  That you will be ready to bring forth GOOD fruit in your season!  That your leaf shall not fade nor wither and that everything you do shall prosper and come to maturity!

XO

14 friends had this to say:

Maurya said...

What a wonderful post. Love it. Stability is what we have with Jesus. Without Him nothing else matters. Thanks for sharing.

Stacy @ Heartprints of God said...

Amen! When our roots run deep, our faith holds us steady and firm. Thanks, Shelly. Your words always keep me focused on THE ONE who brings true stability to my life!

~Stacy

Anonymous said...

Great word! Thank you for sharing.

Anonymous said...

I love the image of us as trees - one passage that has gotten me through tough times is Isaiah 61 where God says that he is in the business of healing hurting & broken people and that those people will 'be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.' I want to be an oak!

Rachel Olsen said...

AMEN to this: "I pray that whatever you may be facing today, that you are able to cling to your Father, holding on to His Word for your life, and standing firm in your faith. That you will be like a tree firmly planted by the streams of water! That you will be ready to bring forth GOOD fruit in your season! That your leaf shall not fade nor wither and that everything you do shall prosper and come to maturity!"

I'm so agreeing with that today. Thanks for this post ~ Rachel

Mel C said...

Psalms 1:3 is one of my fave verses!! I loved how you explained stability with it!!

It is so true... Most people I know look to job security, big homes, fancy cars, etc as a sign of being stable. They are so missing the big picture.

Cheri said...

Great post! I love the visual of the tree firmly rooted. Thank you for sharing!

Together We Save said...

Great post!! Thanks so much for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Love it! I was waiting to see what you'd post about, I knew that it would speak to me :)

And we know how I stay on Psalm 1!!!!!!!

Shelly said...

Thank you to everyone for your encouraging comments!

XO
Shelly

Unknown said...

Excellent insights on stability! It is tough to imagine but we can be stable during storms as long as we hold tight to Him! Great words!!!

Linda said...

Wonderful post and thank you for sharing!! I so love your posts and your encouraging comments on my blog!
Have a great day!
Blessings.

Playing Sublimely said...

Really nice to meet you...

Blah, Blah, Blah! said...

I enjoy your blog...you are a talented writer with wonderful insights into the truth of God's words! I especially enjoyed the devotion that you wrote for Rachel's Devotional Carnival...you shared one of my all time favorite verses!