"The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And He shall be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure." Isaiah 33:5-6 NAS

Let me start this devotional by asking you a question. What kind of times are you going through? Are you in a season of trials right now? Or are you in a season of calm and peace. There is one thing I can assure you: trials will come. No one is immune from trials coming into their life. We live in perilous times and it seems danger lurks at every corner. We need to know with confidence what gives us stability in the difficult times of life.

Have you ever been troubled by the fact that there are some people, Christian and non-Christian, alike who never seem to go through any kind of trials? They never have anything come into their life that seems to test them. Please do not think I am asking you to compare your life to theirs or anything of the sort. That would be wrong as our focus is Christ and He is the one to worry about other people’s lives. Yet you might be someone like me where trial seems to find you easily.

This can be especially true if you are seeking His holiness. Also if you pray the prayer David prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way (Ps 139:23-24 NAS)." WARNING: Do not pray this verse, if you’re not serious about God working in your life. Whatever the case you can be assured that no one will escape the trials of life. You can also be assured "He shall be the stability of your times..." Whatever times you go through He will be your stability.

In today's world when we here in America are on the brink of war and threats of war are all around, when world nations are in disagreement, when famine, drought and violence plague the world, there is certainly nothing that assures us total stability. Unemployment is rising in a time when the job market is declining. Fuel prices are outrages and the stock market goes up and down like the tides of the sea. So where are we putting our confidence today? How about right now in this very hour?

Where are we finding stability for the hard times? There is only one source: Jesus Christ. He shall be the stability of your times. Of all times, whether hard times, prosperous times, perilous times, wonderful times, all times. When you look at a large building or structure with pretty glass outside of it, nice stucco walls all the way up to the top of it, do you ever comment on how nice that structure looks? It may even be one of those nice tall buildings that have glass all the way up it or around it.

What provides those buildings their stability? A building has three characteristics to give it stability. They are design, foundation and a strong engineered steel frame. The first thing that provides stability to a building is the careful design and architectural creation that gives it an initial stability. It has to be designed right according to location, weather, earthquakes and by expert engineers. They have to be able to design the building always planning ahead for what the building may go through during it's life time.

Certainly a building will be built differently in Arizona then it would be in San Francisco. The next thing that gives the building stability is the foundation. What it is being built upon depends on how long that building will be standing. How the footing is poured will determine how it handles powerful winds, earthquakes or flash flooding. The third thing that provides stability is the great big steel beams that travel up the building that give it the structural frame and also the ones that go across the building to tie into the walls for stability.

The right steel needs to used for the right job. Thankfully we have the perfect designer who has given us the perfect foundation and who supplies the cross beam to hold us and give us eternal stability. The Hebrew word for stability is 'emuwnah (em-oo-naw'); or (shortened) 'emunah (em-oo-naw')and literally means firmness; figuratively security; morally fidelity. The KJV uses it as faith (-ful, -ly, -ness, [man]), set office, stability, steady, truly, truth, verily (1).

If you will notice that to for us to have stability we must have truth. We have been built upon the everlasting Rock who is the truth. We have His word that we can cling to as the stabilizer of our souls. When the world is in chaos, when our lives seem to be in chaos, our children might in chaos, our employment may be in chaos, our marriage might be in chaos or our entire lives may in shambles, but one thing remains as truth: He shall be our stability. That falls under the 'always' category. He promised that He would never leave us or forsake us.

We can trust that fact when we can trust nothing else. Today may He increase your strength for whatever times you are going through? Whether trial and hardship or living in prosperous times with lots of sunshine. Remember two things, storms will come and clear skies will follow and Christ will be with you through both. So be encouraged during the dark times and prepared in the bright times. In whatever times, His stability will be your peace.