Suspended, Yet Grounded

““Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8

“Continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” Colossians 1:23

Plunging the paddle into the green water, I stand upright, balanced, gliding along in air while solidly upheld by water. Toward the horizon floats the moon, a chalky orb suspended in the blue morning sky, pulled along its invisible arc by gravity’s unseen power. I consider how we can feel, and in many instances be, suspended, yet are never actually beyond the gravitational pull that grounds us to home.

When life is in limbo, when decisions and emotions are hard to ground, and plans bob afloat in a swirl of news and cancellations and information, opinions and warnings and what-ifs, we may feel we are suspended above certainty, adrift. Arrangements change, fortunes swing; no one shows up, everyone wonders, many fret in confusion or grow anxious in isolation.

But we have a steadfast anchor for the soul, a firm foundation, a sure hope, and that is Jesus. His unfailing love keeps us attached, His holy and good purposes are the gravity that keep us on course through life’s fluctuations. Tides rise and fall, celestial light waxes and wanes, but the sea’s rhythm is constant and the moon is still round. (Hebrews 6:18-20)

“How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in his excellent Word!
What more can he say than to you he has said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

“Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed;
for I am your God, and will still give you aid;
I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”  ~George Keith (1787)

Secure in Jesus, when we are suspended in uncertainty in the here and now, we can be certain we are grounded in the unseen. Look in faith to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith! There is resolution and joy fixed in heaven, to be unfolded in God’s perfect time and way. (Hebrews 12:2)

“Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.”  ~Kathrina von Schlegel (1865)

Has a pendulum unsettled to swing in your heart? Where are we shifting off balance, allowing confidence or peace to waver, instead of standing strong? Though there is new news (and that disturbing) each day, there is unchanging good news to grasp, and cling to when we feel suspended between what seems unreal and mysterious, and what is tangible and known.

Oh Lord, may I both trust in You, and trust You, no matter what comes. May I stand this day with hope and joy, grounded in Your immovable truth.