Recently, I have been having spells of vertigo. This physical condition gives you a very strange sensation because the world around you, which should be stable and solid, quickly starts to shift and spin. Although my physical vertigo is much better, I’m experiencing what I am calling the “vertigo of my soul,” and I’ve been continuously reminded that I can’t look to this world for stability and security; I can only look to Jesus to be the anchor of my soul.
In the Old Testament, Hebrews 6:18-19 says, “So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.”
We know Jesus is the Hope that is the strong and trustworthy anchor for our soul. He is the reason that we can now go into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus shares through a parable in Matthew, “Build Your House on the Rock: 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Although Jesus said it, and I have witnessed it, it still seems to catch me off guard when serious troubles arise. I want to forget that “life is so fragile” and “in this world, we will have trouble.” During hard times, the evil one is on high alert and is looking for ways to create faults in your foundation. He wants you and me to experience severe vertigo of the soul.
This past month, our dear family friends faced a hurricane-type storm- a storm that doesn’t just gently blow the sand but one that pulls the ground out from under your feet. Their son, Ryan, who was in his 40’s, had a massive heart attack. Although they were able to stabilize his heart, the lack of oxygen caused too much damage to his brain. Through the long days at the hospital, the family kept their eyes fixed on Jesus, the only one who could (and continues to) hold them while the sands shifted around them. This dear family lived out the verse found in James 4:10 we are told, “Humble yourselves before the LORD, and He will lift you up” Then, even when the sands around us shift, we can be confident the LORD holds us.
This family's faith is built on THE firm foundation, and even in the midst of the mightiest storm, their house will not fall. What a beautiful example of keeping their eyes on Christ through it all. When Christ is our stronghold, the shifting and unsteady ground doesn’t have a chance of washing us away. For through their faith, they know that they will see Ryan again.
I invite you to ask yourself if you are confident in your foundation in Christ Jesus. This world invites you to place your foundation on the shifting sands of money, wealth, and job titles.
During this past month, I saw part of my foundation was founded on wanting MY will to be done through prayer. I felt I was doing everything right: believing God was capable, praying scripture, praying on behalf of another, and praying continuously. So, when my bold prayers for Ryan weren’t answered, I began to spiral down. I began to question and ask, “Why?”
To fight spiritual vertigo, I searched God’s Word. I was reminded that all of my prayers, while completely honest to God about what is in my heart, should end just as Jesus prayed: “Father, not my will, but Your will be done.” Ending each prayer with this statement allows me to humble myself before the LORD, showing Him I am confident in His plan for my life and the lives of all His children.
My prayer for all of us this morning is:
We know our firm foundation is in Jesus, and our roots grow so deep into that foundation that no storm, no wind, no rain, no vertigo, nothing can ever separate us. I pray that we can be confident that the LORD will hold us through anything and everything this world throws at us. That we will confidently say, “Thy will be done.” knowing God’s plan for all His children is a wonderful and perfect future with Him in eternity.
P.S. I wanted to share the beautiful conclusion to Ryan’s earthly life. He was an organ donor. So, in his death, he gave life to many others. Although our bold prayers for a miracle weren’t answered, we know that many others had their prayers answered through his gift. We know God can use all things for good, and we praise Him for it.
The family worked with a wonderful company called LifeLink . A group gathered at the hospital to honor Ryan’s choice to give life in a flag ceremony, and the family also followed Ryan in an Honor Walk where Doctors and staff lined the hospital corridor.
Ryan was celebrated coming into this world, celebrated for the impact he made on the world around him, and celebrated leaving this world. But nothing compares to the celebration of his entering the heavenly realm when his Heavenly Father welcomed him with open arms.
