Unshaken
April 12, 2026
Dr. Paul Cannings
Many times when I read the Book of Psalm, I am amazed at how a man whom God granted amazing supernatural accomplishments, including a significant accumulation of wealth, power, and domination of the known world, can have so much pain. Here are some examples: “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? ………… O my God, my soul is in despair within me; ………” (Ps. 42:5-6; NASU) “Hear the voice of my supplications when I cry to You for help, When I lift up my hands toward Your holy sanctuary. ………” (Ps. 28:2-3; NASU) “I cry aloud with my voice to the Lord; I make supplication with my voice to the Lord. I pour out my complaint before Him; I declare my trouble before Him. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, ……………….” (Ps. 142:1-3; NASU)
When I read the Book of Psalms, I notice several recurring themes and phrases: “trust in the Lord,” “hope in the Lord,” “the Lord is my refuge, my fortress, my present help, my rock, my strength; my soul trusts in Him” (Ps. 18:2, 62:7-8; 91:2). Of course, there is also the beloved affirmation of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd.” All of his experiences so deepened his relationship and reliance on God; God was not simply a shepherd in an abstract sense; He became David’s personal Shepherd—”my Shepherd.”
Paul often spoke openly about his pain and suffering. In fact, he was forewarned that his ministry would involve hardship (Acts 9:16). For example, he wrote: “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (2 Cor. 4:8-10; 2 Cor. 11:21-29; NASU).
After reviewing many of these scriptures, I reflected on how someone like Paul, under house arrest with Jewish leaders’ intent on having him executed and facing the possibility of imminent death (Phil. 1:21), could write such words: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! … The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:4-9; NASU)
Even Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane, experienced agony, “to the point of death” (Matthew 26:36-46), yet He placed His trust in God’s will. This trust did not remove His pain – in fact, it only increased. Nevertheless, Christ was determined to trust God’s Word and the promise of resurrection, not matter what.
No matter how deep their pain, those who persevered became fully surrendered to God, so that all that mattered was Christ and Christ alone. This was their victory (Romans 8:37-39) – not whether their outward circumstances were resolved (John 12:23-26; Hebrews 11-12:3).