When life's steadiest certainties register on the Richter scale,
When the most dependable crutches don't bear the weight of my cares,
When wedding photos and doorjamb growth charts rise smoky red in the night sky,
When paramedics carry "normal" away on a stretcher,
You, Lord, You make my mountain stand firm.
You make my boundaries secure.
You are my abundantly available help in tight places.
You named Yourself "I Am," yesterday, today, and forever the same.
Your love is my one sure thing.
Shaddai, shelter me in the shadow of Your wings while the storms pass.
Lord, help me to learn how to hang on tight to You when my life is rocked by dramatic change. Empower me to trust You and not to panic or fight for control. Help me to stop confusing a change in my circumstances with a change in my security status. You are my security, O God. You are the one sure thing. When everything around me shakes, You are unshakable. Nothing has the propensity to reveal false gods to me like a sudden change in my circumstances. Help me to see them and surrender them instantaneously. Use change to provoke what needs changing in me, Lord, and to increase my appreciation of the only one who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Beth Moore, So Long, Insecurity, p. 171).Amen.
Scripture references: Psalms 30:7; 16:5, NIV1984; 46:1; Exodus 3:14-15; Hebrews 13:8; Ps. 100:5 and many other verses which proclaim the endurance of God's steadfast love; Psalms 57:1 and 91:1.
P.S. Please don't worry. :) There are some uncomfortable changes pushing me towards God right now, but this prayer seeks to move beyond my relatively small stuff to bigger losses I know about. I considered using our/us language but felt that me/my would be more personal here, not because every concern listed applies to me, but with a view to identification with any reader God should bring who is feeling shaken or insecure today.
