Part 3 of a message by Brad Selley, Pastor of Northwest Bible Church, speaking at Parkers Lake Baptist Church on Sunday morning, September 28, 2008.

Letter B. Not only is He the creator, but He steadies us. He steadies us. Clearly it says in verse 3:

3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.

Some of you struggle with the same kind of thing that I struggle with. When I was in tenth grade, I had an injury in basketball and I rolled my ankle over very, very severely and it has not been the same sense. That was just a couple of years ago and still has not recovered. I want it to recover, but it doesn't.

For instance, I play softball with some of the guys, even a couple of the guys from this church. And as we play softball together, it's kind of a joke, because all of us wear high-top cleats. We wear high-top cleats because we're all really, really weak in the ankles and we roll our ankles over all the time and it hurts. And it's to the point that my ankles are so weak that if I get on just a little bit of an off pavement, I get really nervous really quick.

Those of you that have had a rolled ankle, you know what it's like. You roll it over and you hear the "pop" sound. You play some ball. You're shaking your head. It's happened. Amen?

And then you say, "Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" And you hop because it hurts. Man, does it hurt! And after the swelling goes down to the point where you can actually put a sock on again, then it starts to just barely.... And I have done that so many times.

Not too long ago, I was in a parking lot, and there was a difference where they were paving of maybe, maybe and eight of an inch. And as I was walking from one pavement to the other, my foot got just on the edge of it. And my ankle went right down. Some of you are going, "Eww!" right now. Yeah.

When I got up after rolling over and getting my pants all dirty from rolling in the tar and everything else. I got up. I look like an idiot. Here I am, this guy. You know? Here I am in the parking lot, looking to see who caught me. And of course, my kids, you know, they almost wet their pants, they were laughing so hard. You know? They're laughing at Dad rolling in the parking lot. You know. Ah, the love.

Anyway, none the less, I got up and looked down and my sock had a hole in it. The sock had a hole in it here [end of track 4, 4:55], 'cause my ankle had rolled so far over that it just scraped along the black top and tore a hole in my sock on the side. Nyah!

When I think about firm footing. Oh! That sounds good to me. I can only run in this direction. I can't run in any curves any more. You know? I just can't make those turns. I know what's going to happen. The concept of being on a steady ground and on level ground and knowing that God is a firm foothold for us and provides for us footing and ground where our foot cannot come out from under us, we do not slip, we do not get torn away.

Of course, we know, here in Minnesota, what happens when the ground gets icy. We know what can happen in the driveway when you're shoveling or blowing the snow or whatever happens, what can happen in a simple thing like the parking lot. I remember way back when we were married—just barely married, rather. We were in a parking lot and I was getting gas and I got done getting the gas and was getting ready to get back in the car and apparently hit a chunk of ice, slipped, and literally sent myself underneath the car. And as I was underneath the car, my wife looked out the window. "Where'd you go? Where'd you go?" And there I was under the car. I'm seeing a theme here. Anyway, none the less, I didn't get instructions with my feet, so that's why I struggle a little bit.

Not with God. He gives us a stability and He steadies us when no one else can. He allows us to be in such a way that when we need answers and we need stability, He can deliver. And can I suggest to you? He does.

I don't know what kind of slippery slope you're on today, but you're on one. You say, "How do you know?" Because we all are. I don't know what yours is. I don't know if you're struggling with, "My slippery slope is we're not going to have a job soon." I don't know. Maybe you're one of the ones who are staring down the barrel of foreclosure. Maybe you're somebody who's staring down the loss of a loved one. Maybe you're somebody who's staring down a prodigal child. Maybe you're somebody who's staring down a health crisis that is significant. Maybe you're staring down some financial trouble. Maybe you're staring down an educational path that is so significant you have no idea how you're going to get past it. Maybe you're staring yourself down a relationship mess that you just think has no possible way.

Can I just let you know? Please, to encourage you today. Our God is able to steady the ground we're on. Can I remind you that in Christ the ground at the food of the cross is level? It is not up and down where we have to wonder, "Am I going to make it?"

For a believer, when we are at the bottom of the barrel, the bottom is rock solid. For us, regardless of whether our lives seem to be out of control—and they are these days—God is able to keep us and keep us on firm, level ground.

Does that mean that He makes everything smooth as silk? Obviously not. But it does mean He makes it bearable. It does mean He makes it so that we can traverse the path that He has laid before us. Some of you have known different difficulties. All of us have known difficulties, but regardless of what they have been and the intensity by which they have come, I can assure you of this—help comes from God in the sense of stability.

I know for me and my family, last week was a very unstable week. And I am so glad that God was able to give stability in the middle of chaos. And for all of us, we've got issues like that. For all of us, we have problems like that. He allows some things in His will that cause us to scratch our head. No doubt about it. But I know this. He has the ability to perform His will, regardless of what we conclude.

A lot of times, in the Christian circles of life—and I have been in that circle that I'm going to refer to—we seem to have some bit of a question mark as to what God's will often is. There's a fixation in our lives about, "What is God's will? What is God's will?" As if discovering God's will is going to be discovering a hidden treasure that He's keeping from us. And if we could find out some magic key to turn, all of a sudden—click, click, boom, boom—all of a sudden our lives will open up and glorious angels will come out and we'll realize, "Oh, now I'm walking in God's will." I suggest to you, that is not God's intent at all. God's intent is simply that we would obey what He has revealed, what He has revealed to us. And when we do that, He gives us promises.

What I believe is the best benediction in all of the Bible—in the book of Jude. Let me read it.

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

I love that. He is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand [end of track 5, 5:03] from the present to the very end. There is no question about it. When we have issues, problems—whatever you want to label them—when we look to the mountains—in other words, the presence of God—for our answer, there is stability. There is stability in the personhood of God. As a matter of fact, that is one of the very character traits of God is that He does not change. In our constant world where there is flux and movement and change, it's a very premise of theology that the nature of God is such that He never changes. When truth is constantly under assault in our culture and what it means and what it stands for, with God, truth is always constant. Because truth is Him.

Not only is He our creator, not only does He steady us, but letter C, He is unwearied. He is unwearied. I love this. He is one who is able to not sleep, not slumber. He keeps us and He keeps Israel. He'll never slumber and never sleep. There is no doubt about it that we sometimes need that.

We have small children that occasionally wake up in the middle of the night and want to come in and cuddle or whatever because they've had a bad dream or they've struggled or had an issue and they'll come in. Particularly, our two youngest, obviously. And as they come in sometimes, maybe fighting back tears, or they're scared of the bogeyman or they see something in the closet that they're sure is going to attack them, when really all it is is clothes hanging there. Their minds start wandering. You remember the days. Maybe for you it was last night. I don't know. And if it was, please don't admit it. All right? None the less.

There are times when we feel weary. You ever been there? You ever been to the point where you just think the best thing that could actually happen to your life is just to go to bed at, like, four in the afternoon and get up the next day. Some of you do that occasionally. It's just the most wonderful feeling ever. Is it not? I confess to you what my game plan is for today. I'm planning on spending a couple of hours in that state, somewhere between awake and comatose. You know what I'm talking about? And the football game might happen to be on. I'm going to be on the couch. And hopefully my kids will not be waking me up. All right? And if they do, the abominable snowman will rise up and give his wrath. I mean, that's just... I'm just looking so forward to resting. Sometimes we find ourselves just simply tired. To the point where we're just not sure if we can make it.

Well, the concept of the word that God teaches here is that of somebody who is a vigilant, vigilant guard. Somebody who is standing outside the jail cell because we are held in, and if we escape, he is diligently watching to put us back in the jail cell. Except, in different way, the Hebrew is that this is what happens—that God watches us in protection in such a way that when things assault us, He is a vigilant, vigilant, vigilant watchman who never falls asleep.

Maybe you've seen some of the comical things of, oh, simple TV shows of the past, like such things as Andy Griffith. And you picture, maybe, Barny asleep at the wheel, or a cartoon where somebody's there. Or maybe you've seen a television show maybe where the guards are sleeping and everyone's in and out. And it makes for good humor and everything else. But if our life is depending on the vigilance of God to watch us, we don't want a God who sleeps.

As a matter of fact—write this down—I would suggest to you this. We can sleep because He does not. Amen? We can sleep because He does not. I don't have to panic. I don't have to panic about what's going to happen in my life. I can have a sense of rest. I don't have to worry about what the next phone call will be or what the next things is going to be, even if it's going to be something that is serious, I'm going to be able to rest, because my God is not going to rest. He is going to watch over me with vigilance that surpasses anything that I could even imagine or even think. He has an unwearied vigilance towards individuals which demonstrates His caring. God is concerned, not only about my personal life, but about yours as well. There is not any of us who escapes the watch of God. There's not any of us who is going to allow something to happen in our lives that God is going to be caught off guard and He is going to be just napping for a moment or just resting for just a minute or just holding His eyes for just that ever so slight of a second because He's just so tired, He just can't do it. Our God is so great that we never have to worry about that happening. It is amazing to think [end of track 6, 4:59]