In When the Ground Shakes, Pastor Steve Linton begins the five-part Faith Even in Crisis series by asking what faith looks like when the things we thought were stable suddenly begin to move. Through Psalm 46, we’re reminded that faith doesn’t mean crisis won’t come. God never promised a life untouched by trouble~He promised to be our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Psalm 46 calls us to “be still and know that I am God.” When everything around us feels uncertain, the answer isn’t pretending the ground isn’t shaking. It’s turning our attention from the chaos to the One who remains unchanged. God is still God, still present, and still our refuge in the middle of the storm.
Through Habakkuk 3:17–19, we see another picture of faith in crisis. Habakkuk honestly names everything that could go wrong~the crops failing, the fields producing no food, and the livestock disappearing~and then says, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.” Real faith doesn’t deny how difficult our circumstances are. It honestly names the crisis and still chooses to trust God.
The message challenges us to recognize the difference between faith and denial. Denial tries to make the problem smaller; faith enlarges our view of God. Whatever your shaking ground looks like, name it honestly and then add your “yet”: This is hard. Yet I will trust God. Yet I will rejoice. Yet He is my refuge and strength.
God isn’t asking us to pretend the ground isn’t shaking. He’s asking us to know who we’re standing on when it does.
