About a year and a half ago, I was in a season of my life where it felt like nothing was working out. I felt like I couldn’t do anything right, and I was dissatisfied with almost every part of my life. Through this season, Jesus was a lifeboat. He was the only one I felt like I could fully trust and rely on. But even when I didn’t feel Him, I needed a way to remind myself of His presence.
During that time, I wrote a short psalm (shared below) to remind myself of the unchanging nature of the Lord. The phrase “even so, God” stuck with me. I was in a season where I felt lonely and beat down, but I knew that even when my feelings seemed so big, God was still with me. It still encourages me to think about the freedom and security that we find through Jesus in the middle of some of the most heart-wrenching and unimaginable trials. He is true to His Word and to His character. I know this for sure. I hope these thoughts bring you encouragement as well and remind you of the unchanging nature of God’s character.
Praise be to the Lord above all.
He is our freedom.
He breaks the chains of the oppressed.
He comforts those who cry out to Him.
He delivers us from our enemies.
I feel hard-pressed on every side;
EVEN SO, GOD is all around me.
I am struggling under the weight of my work;
EVEN SO, GOD’s yolk is light.
I feel stagnant and stuck;
EVEN SO, GOD is working new things daily.
I fear that I’ll make the wrong decisions;
EVEN SO, GOD isn’t hindered by human mistakes.
He doesn’t need our right decisions to bring His Kingdom here.
Our obedience is for our sake.
He is who He is.
I don’t get to change that.
There is nothing that can change that.
How sweet to have one constant in my life.
Where would I be if I weren’t standing on this Rock?
– Sammi Whitwell (January 17, 2022)