Easter 2024 - Sunday March 31
7 am - Sunrise Service
8:15 am - Breakfast
9:30 am - Festival Service
UNSHAKEN
Psalm 16:8 – I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
A story is told about a young man who went spelunking in some deep, dark caves. A guide went with him and they had all that they needed. As they began their exploration of the caves, at first, everything was wide open. Big, large, wide-open passages. Great, big, cavernous rooms. At first, the young man felt safe. He was out in wide-open spaces and his feet felt like they were on solid ground. But as they explored deeper into the cave system, the footing became less secure, and open spaces became much tighter. Though he wasn’t claustrophobic by nature, he began to feel the pressure of the caves around him. He imagined everything crashing down around him. He wasn’t sure he could keep exploring; that is how intense his fear became.
His guide knew that he was starting to shake. His guide knew the thoughts he was having because he could see it in his face, lit up by their head-lanterns. He even heard it in his voice. He wasn’t as sure or confident of himself as he was when they first started out that morning. So, he gave him two pieces of advice: 1) “Keep your eyes on me. I’ve been down this way before; I know where it all leads. Keep your eyes on me; you will be safe.” 2) “Listen to my voice and the directions I give you. I will be with you all and want to show you some great things further down and deeper in.”
It’s the same thing for us in our lives as Christians. Sometimes we feel like we’re standing on solid ground and in wide, open spaces. But sometimes, we’re walking through life, and the ground seems pretty shaky; we feel the pressure of uncertainty and the insecurity of the unknown. We’re not sure where it all leads. God, however, is our guide. And he says, “I will be with you. Keep your eyes on me. I know where this path leads, and you won’t be disappointed when you reach your final destination.” He urges, “Listen to my voice. Listen to the comfort I give you. Listen to the direction and guidance I set for your feet. I will be with you and want to show you some great things further up and further in.”
The young man followed the advice of his guide. He keeps his eyes up and his ears open. Eventually, everything opened up, and they came into this massive room that was unlike anything he could have ever imagined after all the tight spaces they had walked through.
That is what God did for Jesus. He walked through the tightest space imaginable when he suffered death for the world. Yet, through it all, he kept his ears open and his eyes up. And God did not disappoint. He raised his Son from the dead and did not abandon him to the grave; he did not let his Holy One see decay. Instead, he raised him from the dead, and now he sits at God’s right hand.
This is God’s greatest desire for us. We will walk through tight spaces. Yet, as we keep our eyes up and our ears open, we will not be disappointed. God has good plans for us, plans that bring him glory, plans that give us hope and a future. God knows where he is leading us and we will not be let down when we get there. We will not be abandoned, even in the grave. He will be with us and raise us to eternal pleasures at his right hand. Therefore, we will not be shaken!
PRAYER:
Lord God, my heart shakes within me as I consider the tight spaces in which I live. My heart quakes at the uncertainty and insecurity I’m facing. Lord, help! I hear your voice this morning calling me to take my eyes off of the waves, to turn my eyes away from the tight walls pressing in on me on every side. Heads us! Eyes on me! And there you are. You were never gone. You have always been right by my side. Guiding, directing, and leading me to places that are far better than I can imagine. My eyes look to you today, dear Lord, so I will not be shaken. Amen.
