T H E O P H I L U S

“Shaken, not stirred” A famous script line played by Sean Connery from the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. This is a tongue in cheek line used to mean “having had a shock but not suffering lasting mental effects from it”.

How many times have we faced trials in our lives that we’ve had to overcome? There are times the enemy comes stomping into our lives and we feel helpless to the damage he causes. There may seem like there is so much damage we could never recover, and that you will never be the same again from those times of trauma and discouragement. There are relationships that are so broken there is no way of mending them. There is so much financial loss, you don’t know if you could ever recover from it. Our health has deteriorated so much that our bodies will never function the way it used to.

Today’s devotional won’t give you a gospel that says God will give you good health and more wealth because sometimes this does not hold true. But there is a truth that we ought to hold onto. In any circumstance of trial and tribulation, there is one thing that Satan cannot take away from us: His love and salvation that comes from it. God is never shaken in his love for us, and his promise of salvation is never unkept.

⁵ Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. ⁶ Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. ⁷ My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. ⁸ Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:5-8

When we begin to put our trust in Him during those challenging times, it is also a reminder that he is our fortress. Though a fortress can be scathed on the outside, God’s fortress of love for us is built to eternally withstand any blow. Though in our trials we are scratched, marred, bruised, limbs broken, and our bodies are not the same as it was before – his salvation for you remains true.

May the fortress of God’s love continue to remind you of the unshakable promise of his salvation for you. That no matter how difficult and painful the journey, you will not be shaken and God may be your refuge of strength today, tomorrow and forever more.