“Though the mountains be shaken, and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken.”

Isaiah 54:10

Have you heard that announcement before? Generally speaking, I’m a pretty comfortable with flying. This announcement gave me pause though—you know it is serious when the flight attendants are told to buckle up for a portion of the ride.

“This is your captain speaking, I’m going to turn on the fasten seatbelt sign because we are headed into some rough air. It should be only about 10 minutes or so, but the skies ahead are rocky. Flight attendants, please take your seats.”

I was flying out to California for a workshop and was shoe-horned into my seat in the back of the plane. The first jolt was a pretty good one. It rattled everyone inside—“please use caution when opening the overhead bins as your belongings may have shifted.” Yeah, I actually think this announcement was accurate because of these moments of our flight.

Like I said, I don’t get too nervous on planes, even in turbulent skies. The same was not true for the woman sitting in 27E. The turbulence was rough. And it skyrocketed her panic. She screamed in terror every time the plane rattled in the angry skies. With every shake she whimpered. She was sitting between two strangers that quickly became companions. Champions to help her make it through those hard 10 minutes. Through tears she held their hands for dear life. Between the bumps she apologized over and over again. It was hard to sit in the row ahead of her—I couldn’t do anything more to help alleviate her fears or calm her nerves.

Maybe it wasn’t an airplane for you. Have you endured a natural disaster? Watching as the earth rumbles and shakes with the waves of an earthquake. Have you spent the night praying that the hurricane windows are hurricane proof? Have you hidden in a tornado shelter under ground in the back yard?

And, maybe if it wasn’t one of those natural disasters, I know you’ve lived through earth shaking moments. You’ve endured the moments that rocked your world and disoriented your equilibrium.

If you live long enough, there will be mountains in your life that shake. There will be moments when the strongest and mightiest thing you in your life crumbles into the sea. Even the best and most securing things in your life won’t last. That’s one of the realities of the ruthless nature of time—it keeps going.

You will be shaken. You will be driven to your knees. You will find yourself clinging to the hands of strangers as they do their best to help you through the turbulence.

Isaiah reminds us that, even though the world around you shall crumble and fall, the unfailing love of God—it is secure. God’s love is the most secure and solid element in the known and unknown universe. It can not be shaken. It cannot be moved. God’s love is not watered down. It does not wear away. His love will never be diminished. It will never shrink back into the shadows nor hide from an opportunity to put its power and presence on display.

The Hebrew word for love is hesed. It describes a reality of God’s character that is far more than fond feelings for you. God’s hesed is about action. It is giving. Protecting. Dependable. You can count of the love of God without fail. When your world shakes, God doesn’t. This is His love. It doesn’t diminish. It doesn’t shrink back. God and His love doesn’t need to get fastened into His seatbelt when the turbulence comes. In fact, it is often in the midst of the the storms that God’s love is on display the brightest for you to see.

It is the Hesed nature of God that is the most fundamental piece of His character. His unwavering presence is His Hesed. His relentless pursuit of you, even as you run away, is God’s Hesed. It is because of God’s Hesed that He rescues you. He delivers you. He heals you. He elevates you. He declares you worthy. He doesn’t grow weary of showing you grace. All of this is motivated by the fullness of God’s Hesed. Nothing will deter your Fathering in Heaven from pursuing you with His goodness and His love.

So… has the captain turned on the seatbelt sign in your life? Is turbulence wrecking havoc and shaking everything in your world? One thing that will forever be unmoved is the glorious gift of God’s love. Drink it in—even if the flight attendants can’t serve you in the midst of the storm.