A Verse for When… Life Feels Uncertain and Scary
Life is chaotic sometimes. One glance at the daily headlines confirms this. We walk through ups and downs, highs and lows. This is just the way things are. It’s not likely to change much!
When I look up synonyms for chaotic, here are a few words I find: disorderly, disorganized, topsy-turvy, confused, tumultuous, frenzied, messy, lawless, sloppy, filthy and turbulent.
Who wants to live in that state of being? Definitely NOT me. The world especially felt like this when COVID-19 hit a few years ago. Do you remember? There was a lot of uncertainty in the air. Misinformation was flying around like crazy, people were forced out of their regular routines, and nobody really had concrete answers to provide. Turbulent? Topsy-turvy? Confusing? Check, check, check.
One day during quarantine in that spring of 2020, I got a package in the mail from my mom. It was an antique gold-ish photo frame with a Bible verse inside that said:
He will be the stability of your times. -Isaiah 33:6
OOF! If there was ever a time when I (and probably the entire world!) needed to hear those words, it was in the spring of 2020. When the world is going crazy, God is stable, consistent and trustworthy.
While the frame just featured the first phrase of the verse, here is the entire verse:
And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
Can we check it out in a couple different versions?
And He will be the security and stability of your times, A treasure of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is your treasure. (Amplified)
There will be times of security for you— a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure. (Christian Standard Bible)
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure. (New International Version)
God keeps your days stable and secure— salvation, wisdom, and knowledge in surplus, and best of all, Zion’s treasure, Fear-of-God. (The Message)
I took the liberty of bolding the words that bring comfort in times of instability. Doesn’t it just fill your heart with comfort and peace to be attached to something—or someone—offering security, stability and a sure foundation? Whew. What a relief, right?
Since we looked at some synonyms for chaotic, let’s also look at some for stable. Here are a few: balanced, calm, durable, lasting, reliable, safe, steady, strong and solid.
This is literally a no-brainer! A quick glance at both lists of synonyms makes it abundantly clear which words I prefer to reign over the atmosphere of my life. What about you? If you feel like you’re stuck in a cloud of chaos, speak this verse out loud over and over again. Pray the words of Isaiah 33:6 over your life. Invite God in to be the sure foundation for your times—steady, stable and secure. Ask Him to be a rich store of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. Pray that He might increase your holy and reverent fear of Him.
What about your friend? You know, that one who always seems to have the most dramatic and chaotic things going on… Send her this verse! Pray this verse over her.
And now, let me bestow this blessing on you. May the Lord be your sure foundation. May He be the security and stability of your days. May He be an abundance of salvation, wisdom and blessing in your life. May God tenderly teach you how to fear Him—not to be scared, but to encounter Him with awe and reverence.
He will be the stability of your times. -Isaiah 33:6