The Stability of Our Times

And he shall be the stability of your times (Isaiah 33:6).

In the mountains where I grew up, there is a mile-high bridge stretching across a mountain between two rocky cliffs. Only the brave dare cross through the frequent dense clouds and high winds that make the narrow bridge swing and sway far above the security of the solid earth below.

I once stood in the middle of the bridge, gripped the cables on either side and closed my eyes, trying to overcome my fear of heights. The metal panels that form the crossing wobbled unsteadily beneath me as the wind howled, cruelly mocking my courage.

The only thing that held me steady was imagining the immovable stability of the towering rock just ahead of me on the other side. I fixed my mind on it and concentrated. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes and walked slowly toward the rock.

Years later, I took my children to the bridge and smiled inside as I watched them gather the courage to trust me when I assured them they would make it to the other side. The rock hadn’t changed in twenty years. It still stood like a faithful sentinel, beckoning my children to trust its towering security.

I am quite certain that when we safely reached the rock, we all felt its stability beneath our feet more acutely because we had experienced the instability of the mile-high bridge.

We are crossing a mile-high bridge in the world today. This one, however, stretches far into the clouds and we cannot see the rock on the other side.

We are not tourists on a vacation (oh, how we long to get our vacations back!)

We did not choose to cross this swaying, shaking, wobbling, groaning bridge constructed with the planks of a global pandemic, civil unrest, financial loss, and all the nuts and bolts of other struggles common to humanity.

But we are in the middle, it would seem. Or are we near the other side? Who can say… the path before us appears to be shrouded in cloud cover.

Let us close our eyes a moment, right here in this place in the middle, this wobbly place.

Imagine with me God, whose very nature is stability.

God who is called the Rock!

The Lord Jesus Christ who, in the words of Isaiah the prophet, shall be the stability of our times.

Imagine that for a moment as your legs tremor and the surface beneath all you have known sways in the winds of uncertainty.

Breathe deep with me and fix your mind on the Rock that is surely behind you, beneath you, and before you.

God is our Rock. He is our stability. This is His character. Unchangeable, immovable, eternal. 

He will never cease to be steadfast.

God is steadfast. He will be the stability of our times. All of them, throughout eternity. #stability #GodsUnchangingCharacter #2021 #faith Share on X

Now let’s open our eyes and examine what that means. (Thanks for imagining you are opening and closing your eyes while all the time still reading along with me.)

The word for stability in Hebrew is emûwnâh, meaning firmness, security, (moral) fidelity, faithfulness, a set office, stability, steady, truly, truth.

Which word resonates with your soul today? Take it as your own. Write it down. Stick it on your mirror to stare at while you brush your teeth. Let it steady your mind, your heart, your knees, your hands.

Remind your soul every day that God does not wobble. He is our Emûwnâh.

Emûwnâh can be seen in many passages of Scripture describing God’s character and actions. Here are a few of my favorites (bold added to emphasize the use of the word emûwnâh in the original Hebrew):

Look upon Zion, the city of appointed feasts; Your eyes shall see Jerusalem an undisturbed habitation. A tent which shall not be folded. Its stakes shall never be pulled up nor any of its cords be torn apart (Isaiah 33:20).

The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He (Deuteronomy 32:4).

And He shall be the stability of your times (Isaiah 33:6).

Thanks be to God, the stability of our times.

Lord, I look to You today. Not to the wobbly bridge I am crossing into a new year. But to You, my Rock and the stability of my times. Amen.

For the first few weeks of this new year, I’ll be exploring the immovable, enduring character of God. In these constantly changing times, may you find comfort in the unchanging nature of God.