"Surely you have granted me eternal blessings and made me glad with the joy of your presence. For I trust in the LORD; through the unfailing love of the Most High I will not be shaken."

Dear Lizzie Mae,

What happens when we read these words? By the accounts of anyone who takes the Bible seriously, these words were written under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Do I believe God has granted me eternal blessings? Am I truly glad with the joy of his presence? Do I trust in the Lord? Really?

Do I believe that I will not be shaken because of God's unfailing love?

I need to think deeply about this. I need to take a moment, or more than a moment and think about these questions.

Do I believe God has granted me eternal blessings? YES! God has granted me the blessing of mercy and the forgiveness of sins. God has granted me his love. A love richly undeserved, yet I possess it. So do you. These are eternal blessings! These are blessings that will never go away. These are blessings we will have through every crisis we encounter, no matter how severe, no matter how painful and disruptive -- blessings that last until there are no more crises at all.

Am I truly glad with the joy of his presence? Gladness and Joy are emotional terms. Feeling terms. Do I always feel glad and joyful? I'm afraid not. But -- what if my faith were such that, like the writer of Hebrews said of Moses who could actually see God, even though he was invisible? How would this affect my emotions? I can say this, and without reservation or fear of mitigation: Since I am conscious of the holy presence of God with me, you bet my heart leaps with joy and gladness!

I know He is here because I can feel it! Have you ever just felt someone's love for you just because of their presence? I'm staring at my computer screen writing, oblivious to anyone and everything, and unasked for, Bonnie brings in some of my favorite snacks all arranged like something out of a magazine, I know I am loved. I can feel it. My puppy-dog Daisy, walks up and gives me a lick. I look down and see adoring black eyes set in white fur looking back at me. I pick her up and get a lick on my nose. I know I am loved. I can feel it. Someone reads one of my pieces and thanks me in glowing terms telling how they were fortified, how it made their day. I know I am loved. I can feel it. And sometimes no one says a word, yet you knew you are loved -- and you feel it!

If I request an audience with God, thankfully, he doesn't merely say to me, "Read my Book!" I do read and meditate on His book and it often engenders this feeling of which I speak. I am not speaking of a woo-woo thing. It comes as just a quiet whisper of guidance, or encouragement, just a thought or two inside my addled brain that makes me think, "God just touched me."

For those who think that emotions don't amount to much, let me remind you that God is not a computer. He feels emotionally. "He can be 'touched' with the 'feeling of our infirmities.'" Hebrews 4:15 Emotional language. No doubt we should not be controlled by our emotions. But when they are there, they most certainly deserve our careful consideration.

Do I really trust the Lord? At this question, I respond, "Lord, I believe. Help thou mine unbelief!" The kernel substance of fiath is trust. Do I really believe God enough to trust him with my earthly as well as my eternal welfare? To be honest, there are times when this trust falters. But for the most part (and my wife can vouch for this), no matter what comes down the pike, my trust is in the Lord to manage and control it. If we can trust him with the truly big things, things which we don't control, how can we not trust him with life in this world?

Do I believe that I will not be shaken because of God's unfailing love? Again, I believe the Scriptures teach that because of the sacrifice of the Man who called himself my brother, he will walk me home to be live him. This is my hope. This is my confidence -- again without reservation, this is a truth that cannot be shaken.

But what of my everyday experiences? What of my "calling" and purpose? What about the very next step in my life? Let me tell you something. I sometimes feel like I have been walking in the Okefenokee swamp for most of my life. The land of the trembling earth. None of my steps seem secure. Everything is up for grabs. Murphy's law is my constant companion.

But when my union with the Lord Jesus kicks in, and I become aware of His strength, love, mercy and grace, the land of the trembling earth turns into solid rock -- that place where I have built my house. And I feel it!

-- PDM

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