When Everything Else Feels Unsteady

09/03/2026

There are days when life feels pretty manageable. Then there are days when you realize just how little you actually control. One phone call, one unexpected problem, one piece of news, and suddenly the ground beneath you doesn’t feel nearly as solid as it did yesterday. David knew that feeling. And what he discovered was that security was never found in having everything under control. It was found in knowing where to run when he didn’t.

“The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
- Psalm 18:2 (ESV)

David didn’t write this sitting somewhere comfortable, trying to come up with something inspirational.

The opening of the Psalm tells us exactly what was happening. David sang these words after the Lord had delivered him “from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.”

That matters.

Because when David calls God his rock, fortress, deliverer, shield, and stronghold, these weren’t religious words to him. David had hidden in caves. He had run for his life. He knew what it was like to need protection. He knew what it felt like to wonder whether the enemy was going to catch him.

And after all of that, David looked back and realized something.

The cave wasn’t what kept me safe. God did.

That’s a lesson most of us have to learn more than once.

We build our own fortresses.

A healthy bank account can feel like a fortress. A good job can feel like one. Our health can become one. Relationships, plans, insurance policies, routines, even our own ability to figure things out can give us a sense of security.

None of those things are necessarily bad. Wisdom tells us to plan, prepare, save, work, and take care of what God has entrusted to us.

The problem comes when something God gave us becomes something we trust instead of God.

Because eventually every earthly fortress develops cracks.

Jobs change.
Money gets spent.
People disappoint us.
Plans fall apart.

Our bodies remind us that we aren’t twenty-five anymore.

And sometimes something happens that we simply cannot fix.

That’s when we discover what we’ve actually been standing on.

David says, “The LORD is my rock.”

A rock doesn’t promise that the storm won’t come. It gives you something solid to stand on while the storm is happening.

That distinction matters.

Sometimes we think trusting God means believing He will keep difficult things from happening to us. Scripture never makes that promise. David certainly couldn’t have believed that. His life had plenty of trouble.

What David knew was that trouble never got the final word.

God was still there, still faithful, still protecting, and still working.

And eventually, David could look backward and see the hand of God in places where, while he was living through them, he probably saw nothing but trouble.

I think that’s where some of us struggle. We want to understand what God is doing while He is doing it.

Sometimes we will, and sometimes we won’t.

There are moments when faith simply says, “God, I don’t understand this, but I know who You are.”

Notice how personal David makes this verse.

My rock.
My fortress.
My deliverer.
My God.
My shield.
My salvation.
My stronghold.

David wasn’t talking about somebody else’s relationship with God. He knew Him personally.

And there is a big difference between knowing that God is a refuge and actually running to Him as your refuge.

When life gets difficult, where do you run first?

Do you immediately start trying to solve everything yourself?

Do you replay the problem in your mind fifty different ways?

Do you call everybody you know?

Do you assume the worst?

Do you carry it around all day and then finally pray when nothing else works?

I’ve certainly had moments where prayer became the last thing I tried instead of the first place I went.

David gives us a better picture.

Run to the fortress.

Not because you’re weak. Because you know where your strength comes from.

Whatever is sitting in front of you today, God may not remove it immediately. But you do not have to face it standing on your own strength.

You already have a Rock, a Fortress, and a Deliverer.

And when everything around you feels uncertain, God has not moved.

Action Steps

* Identify your fortress. Ask yourself honestly what you’ve been depending on lately to make you feel secure. If it disappeared tomorrow, would your peace disappear with it?
* Run to God first today. Before trying to fix the biggest thing on your mind, bring it to Him. Tell Him plainly what you’re afraid of, worried about, or trying to control.
* Remember a previous rescue. Think about something God has already carried you through. Sometimes remembering yesterday’s faithfulness gives us courage to trust Him with today.

Challenge for the Day

When worry shows up today, don’t immediately start trying to solve the problem. Stop and say, “Lord, You are my rock and my fortress. I’m trusting You with this.” Then move forward from a place of trust instead of fear.

Prayer

Father, You are my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. Forgive me for the times I put my confidence in things that can change instead of You, who never does. When I’m afraid, remind me where to run. When I don’t understand what You’re doing, help me trust who You are. Thank You for being steady when everything around me isn’t. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Pastor Jeff

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