Not Shaken Nor Stirred

Do you ever feel anxious or fearful? Are you ever worried or unsettled? Do you ever wonder how much worse the world around you can possibly get? Are you shocked by images you see on TV or in movies and wonder at the depravity of humanity? I think we all have had those kind of feelings at one time or another. It's easy, living in the world we live in, to become shaken or have our feelings stirred up. It's easy to become rattled and feel unsettled or anxious. 

The Psalmist says in Psalm 16:8 "I will keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken." The key to remaining peaceful when the storm is surrounding you on all sides is to keep your eyes on the Lord. Keep Him close beside you so you will not be shaken. You won't falter because you know He is there protecting you and watching over you. Psalm 91:7 reminds us that "a thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand but the evil will not come near you." I find it interesting, and no mistake, that the Psalmist says that the greater number, ten thousand, will fall at your right hand. That's the side we've been told in Psalm 16 to keep God on. He will fight our battles if we keep Him close to us. 

Isaiah 54:17 promises us that "no weapon formed against you will prosper and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me  declares the Lord." We don't have to worry. We won't be shaken or stirred up if we keep our eyes off our problems and the troubles around us and keep them on God. If we stay close to Him and keep Him close to us by reading His Word, praying to Him and giving Him control of our life, we have nothing to fear. 

I love reading about the Apostle Peter. Peter was like us in so many ways. He had a great love for the Lord but he failed at times too. Peter had such great faith that he actually walked on water! You can read about it in Matthew 14. As long as Peter's eyes were on Jesus he was able to accomplish what was humanly impossible. He actually defied the laws of gravity and walked on water! But we read in verse 29 that "when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out Lord save me!" When he took his eyes off Jesus his problems started. The wind had been there before. The storm had been raging around him before he got out of the boat but he hadn't noticed it because his eyes, his focus, was on Jesus. 

When we keep our eyes on Jesus we won't be shaken. We will be able to accomplish what we didn't think was possible before. He is our Rock. He is our Shelter. He is our Anchor. Keep your eyes on Him and you can't go wrong, but take your eyes off Him and you'll become shaken, stirred up and you'll sink, just like Peter.