Steady Hearts in Sinking Sand

Vina: Hi! I’m Vina from Germany, and I’m a Revive partner. One way God has used Revive Our Hearts in my life is by showing me that I can’t wait for my circumstances or other people to change in order for my life to change.

Instead, I need to take responsibility for actively pursuing holiness and allowing God to work in my heart. There was a time when I wasn’t experiencing much freedom, fullness, or fruit in my walk with God.

But through the encouragement and guidance I received from Revive Our Hearts—and of course only through God’s help and grace—I’ve learned to intentionally deal with the areas God wanted to change in me.

And over time, I really have begun to experience greater freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness! That’s just one of the many reasons I’m grateful to support Revive Our Hearts each month as a RevivePartner.

Now, let’s listen to today’s episode of Revive Our Hearts. It’s brought to you in part by the members of the RevivePartner team. Here’s Dannah. 

Dannah Gresh: Mary Kassian wants to infuse you with unshakable courage—the kind we can only find in the Lord.

Mary Kassian: When your heart breaks, He is Your comfort. When you’re anxious, He is your peace. When you are weary, He is your rest. When You are discouraged, He is Your hope. When the path is dark, He is your light. When the ground beneath you gives way, He is Your rock!

Dannah: This is the Revive Our Hearts podcast with Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth, co-author of You Can Trust God to Write Your Story, for June 29, 2026. I’m Dannah Gresh. 

So, what do you think of when you hear the word “unshakable”?Maybe the Rocky Mountains of Colorado are coming to mind, or those towering redwood trees in California! But, do you believe that you can be unshakable? Even more so than the tallest mountain or the sturdiest tree on the earth?!

Today and tomorrow Mary Kassian is going to unpack the last three stanzas of Psalm 34 with us. We’re listening to a message she gave at the Seen conference, a gathering in Edmonton, Alberta that was founded by her daughter-in-law, Amanda Kassian.

Mary’s aim in this message is to offer you three marks of an unshakable woman, because it really is possible to become one.

Mary: A few weeks ago I stepped into a mess . . . and I don’t mean metaphorically. I mean a sticky, slimy, mucky, utterly awful mess! My husband and I were at the lake. We were the last to get the Ski-Doo lift out of the water.

The water was freezing. The job was not fun, but it was urgent; it had to be done! And so, there I am stepping off the pier into what looked like solid ground, and clear water, no rocks. It was cold, yes. But, “I’ve got this.”

Except, the bottom was not solid. It was quicksand; it was sludge! So my leg sank in thigh deep, and then my other leg sank in thigh deep. I tried to push myself with my arm, and my arm sank in elbow deep!

And then to make matters worse, my right arm had smacked the pier on my way down! So not only was I freezing and caked in sludge, but there was throbbing, burning pain shooting down one forearm!

I looked like a slimy, mud monster thrashing black sludge everywhere, hopelessly stuck and hilarious—had it not hurt so much! My arm stayed bruised from here to here for several weeks. It’s still very “ow!” It’s very tender to the touch.

But life is often like that, isn’t it? You think you’re stepping onto solid ground, and all the sudden you’re sinking. And whether it’s an accident or a medical diagnosis or a relationship crisis or problem at work or a teacher’s strike or worries about your family or fears about the future or just the chaos of managing life itself, the stress and the pain and the fear and the uncertainty can steal your peace, can rattle your emotions, and can leave you disoriented, wondering which way is up!

Psalm 34 points to an entirely different reality. And even when you feel like you’ve stepped into sinking sand and you’re covered in muck, you do not have to be consumed with anxiety or fear; because the Lord gives you a foundation that is firm, even when the world around you is shaking and slipping and sliding.

So, please turn in your Bibles to Psalm 34. David wrote this psalm in the middle of intense danger. He was running for his life, hiding from King Saul, pretending to be crazy just to survive. . .and yet, amid that chaos, he models for us what it means to live an unshakable life.

Now, the psalm itself unfolds in six stanzas, and each one highlights God’s goodness and faithfulness in the midst of life’s crazy places. And in this final session together, we’re going to take a look–in these stanzas, I think there are three defining marks of an unshakable person, and specifically—because this is a room full of women—unshakable women!

So to begin, an unshakable woman is constant. She is anchored in the fear of God. Verses 11–14: 

Come, children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is someone who desires life,
loving a long life to enjoy what is good?

Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from deceitful speech.
Turn away from evil and do what is good;
seek peace and pursue it.

So David asks here: “Do you really want to live?”Can I hear a, “Yes!”? 

Ladies: Yes! 

Mary: Do you really want to live? Do you want to have a full and meaningful, joy-filled life? Ye-e-e-s! Of course you do!

He says, “So, listen up, because I’m going to teach you the secret. I’m going to teach you the key. In order to really live, in order to have a meaning-filled, joy-filled life, you need to know the fear of the Lord. That’s the key.”

Now, when we hear the word “fear,” our minds often jump to the emotions of panic or anxiety and dread. But fear is much more than an emotion. Fear, at its core, is about comparison. You fear when you see something as bigger than you. 

When a problem feels larger than your ability to solve it, or the pain deeper than your strength to endure it, or the loss greater than your ability to recover from it, or the job and the things you need to do bigger than the time you have to do them; that’s when fear or anxiety takes hold. It’s when you feel like you are small and what you are facing is huge! 

But not all fear is bad. Scripture shows us two kinds of fear. There's apprehensive—the scary kind of fear that says, “This is bigger than me, and it might hurt me! It just freaks me out and makes me anxious.” 

And then there’s reverent fear. Reverent fear says, “God is bigger, and He is worthy of my awe, my trust, and my obedience!” And both come from recognizing that you’re small and something else is big, but one leads to anxiety while the other leads to peace.

The irony of it all is that the only way to fight fear is with fear. So, apprehensive fear fades when reverent fear grows. And the problem is not that you fear circumstances are too big; it’s that your fear of God is too small.

Fear of the Lord is reverent awe. It’s the deep awareness that God is bigger, He is holy, He is powerful, He is wise, and He deserves our complete respect and obedience regardless of the mucky mess that we may have stepped into. The fear of the Lord is what steadies you. It is the anchor that holds you firm when life shakes!

Now David gives us the practical road map here (it is very, very practical!) in verse 13. The ABCs of fearing God, so to speak: 

A) Speech
Fear Him in what you say: “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech” (v. 13). 

You see, when you have that anxious kind of fear, it tempts you to lash out or to complain or to speak harshly. But a heart anchored in reverent fear of a holy God speaks holy words—words of faith and truth and kindness.

B) Actions
Fear Him in what you do: “Turn away from evil and do what is good” (v 14).

The anxious type of fear tempts you to compromise, to react in anger, or to take the easy way out. But a heart anchored in the reverent fear of a holy God exhibits holy behavior. It acts with integrity, choosing to do what is right and to turn away from what is evil. 

C) Disposition
Fear Him in how you relate: “Seek peace and pursue it” (v. 14).

Anxious fear tempts you to point fingers and hold grudges and be sensitive or be combative. But a heart anchored in a holy fear of a holy God has a holy disposition. It chooses peace over conflict, grace over bitterness, forgiveness over resentment, restoration over destruction.

So it’s important to remember our ABCs. ABC is all you need to know when you’re in a messy place, when you’re in that sticky situation, when you’re slipping and sliding and look like a mud monster and you're just, “RRRghggh!”

ABC: A= Speak holy! B = May your actions be holy! C = Have a holy disposition towards others! That is going to set your compass and set you on the right path. So when you step in the muck, do you remember your ABCs?

Do you align your words and your behavior and your disposition with holiness? When trouble comes, the fear of God reminds us that He is greater—unchanging, steady, reliable. His character and His commands are our true norm.

Now, imagine that you’re navigating through a dense forest and it’s dark. The trees are looming high, and the shadows are casting creepy things all over the place, and the path under your feet is twisting and turning unexpectedly.

You have a compass in your hand and you’re watching the needle, and that needle might tremble. As that needle moves, you constantly adjust your course to stay on track. Now, every step may still feel uncertain. A wrong turn could leave you lost or send you over a cliff.

But if you’re following your true North, it’s going to lead you in the right direction. Staying constant means that we stay focused. Walking through dark circumstances can really be disorienting. It can feel confusing, it can feel painful, but the fear of God is our compass!

It doesn’t remove the obstacles or smooth the path, but it shows us how to take the next step through them, keeping us steady and focused. “Constant” means we stay on course by living out our ABCs, by fearing God no matter how angry or frustrated or discouraged we feel—and no matter how unfair or painful the situation. 

The fear of God steadies us, keeps us constant, equips us to face whatever may come. So, an unshakable woman is constant; she is anchored in the fear of God.

The next stanza indicates that she’s also courageous. She’s strengthened by the nearness of God. 

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry for help.
The face of the Lord is set against those who do what is evil,
to remove all memory of them from the earth. 

The righteouscry out, and the Lord hears,
and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near the brokenhearted;
he saves those crushed in spirit. (vv. 15–18)

What a beautiful and tender and powerful picture of the Lord’s presence! His eyes are on the righteous; His ears are open to their cries. His face is set against those who persist in evil but turned toward those who walk the narrow path. 

Now, when my children were little, they always seemed to need me at the exact moment that I started talking to someone else. Did that ever happen to you? 

Well, we had a system. If they needed something, they were supposed to place a hand on my shoulder and quietly wait until I turned my face toward them. Of course, “quietly” is a relative term!

They would wriggle and bounce and shift from one foot to another, just humpleing around—that’s a good German word, humpleing around—from one foot to another, desperate, waiting for my eyes to meet theirs!

And that moment when I finally turned my face toward them was everything! They knew they had my full attention. You and I can only give that kind of focused attention to one person at a time.

But God is not like us. His capacity is limitless! His face is always turned toward you. His face is turned toward you; His eyes are on you; His ears are open to your cry. You don’t have to be like my kids, “Wow, when’s she going to pay attention!? I need you, I need you, I need you. I need you right now!” No. His face is turned toward you. You are never unseen or unheard, even when heaven feels silent. You never have to wonder if He notices or cares.

Not only is He near and attentive, but He is also actively helping! He rescues you from all your troubles. Now you might say, “Now . . . wait a minute; wait a minute! Uh, if God who is so big and so amazing and so powerful rescues me from all my troubles, then why am I still stuck in this horrible muck?!”

That’s an honest question. Maybe you’ve asked it through tears. I know that I have. If God sees me, if He hears me, if He’s near me, if His face is turned toward me, then why . . . has . . . He . . . not . . . fixed . . . this?

And notice what this psalm does not say. It doesn’t say the righteous avoid trouble. It says the righteous cry out; the Lord hears, and He rescues them. Now, He doesn’t always pull you from your peril, but He guarantees His presence. 

He doesn’t always put out the fire, but He stands beside you in the flames. He doesn’t always still the storm, but He climbs into your boat and He whispers, “Peace. Be still.” You see, courage is not born in the absence of hardship, but in the presence of a holy, faithful God. 

 

He does not keep every battle from you, but He walks into every battle with you. Just think of the three men in the fiery furnace. God didn't extinguish the flames. What did He do? He stepped into the fire with them!

True courage says, “Lord, I trust You to be with me in the fire just as much as I trust You to put it out!” Courage is not the absence of fear, it’s drawing strength from His presence. Isaiah 43:2:

Do not fear . . . 
When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you,
and the rivers will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire . . .
the flame will not burn you. . . .
Do not fear, for I am with you. (vv. 1, 2, 5)

So courage doesn’t come from thinking, I’m strong enough for this! It comes from knowing, “God is near enough for this. He is with me. I can rely on His help.” So the nearness of God, right there in the middle of it all, is what steadies your heart and what gives you courage when you’re mired in the muck.

Charles Spurgeon was a great nineteenth century preacher, and he knew this deeply. Throughout his life he endured chronic illness, the crushing weight of leadership, seasons of deep depression that he battled, and the heartbreaking loss of a young son to meningitis. Any one of those sorrows could have undone him, but the presence of God gave him courage. He said this, 

The sense of God’s presence, so near that our faith can touch His hand, is the source of the courage which no danger can dispel, no suffering exhaust, and no death destroy. 

I love that! He’s so near that through faith we can touch His hand! And nothing—nothing!—neither angels nor demons, today’s fears or tomorrow’s worries, neither your weakness nor your weariness can separate you from the love of God. That is truth! A fact that doubt cannot negate, danger cannot dispel, suffering cannot exhaust, death cannot destroy!

Dear sisters, take courage! Take courage! Whatever it is that you’re walking through, whether it's a monster-sized battle or a dozen small burdens that never lift; when your heart breaks, He is Your comfort; when you’re anxious, He is your peace; when you are weary, He is your rest; when You are discouraged, He is Your hope; when the path is dark, He is your light; when the ground beneath you gives way, He is Your rock! Take courage! He will never leave you nor forsake you. 

Take courage! Though you may not always sense it, He is always, always near. An unshakable woman is courageous, strengthened by the nearness of God.

Dannah: That’s Mary Kassian, encouraging you to be constant and courageous in the Lord. Tomorrow she’ll give you the last mark of an unshakable woman, but until then, I hope you’ll take some time to reflect on what we heard today.

The Lord’s presence is where we find strength and courage. It’s where we become the unshakable women we were always meant to be. If you’ve felt far from Him recently, let this psalm lead you near again.

Today and tomorrow you can still receive the classic devotional Dwell when you make a donation of any amount. Nancy walks you through thirty psalms with reflections that help you slow down and savor God’s Word. To give and request your copy, visit ReviveOurHearts.com, or call us at 1-800-569-5959.

Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth has shared a message on Psalm 34 as well, and I love the way these sweet sisters in ministry just echo one another, while also sharing a unique perspective. So to close us out, we’ll listen to some of Nancy’s reflections on this chapter, then I hope you’ll join us tomorrow for the second half of Mary’s message.

Nancy: Well, from verse 15 to the end of the chapter we see the heart of God. He is good! His eyes and ears are toward us when we call. He draws near to us. He saves us; He delivers us. Verses 15–17 (NASB1995):

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous . . .
his ears toward their cry. 

As a mother hears her infant crying and says, “I know that voice,” and comes to the rescue,

The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and
delivers them out of all their troubles.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

Brokenhearted, crushed in spirit, that’s not just talking about people who’ve been devastated by hard-life circumstances. That’s talking about people whose pride and stubbornness have been humbled. They’re brokenhearted; they’re crushed in spirit, and God draws near to them.

Ladies, there is no place on the face of this earth, there is no circumstance that could ever come into your life where you cannot find refuge and safety and protection in Him. That’s why I love that modern hymn that is sung by my friends Keith and Kristyn Getty. 

In Christ alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand. 

No guilt in life . . .
[What does the psalmist say? None of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.]
no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me.
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand.
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

I want to just encourage you to take refuge in God—not to expect that life will be easy or trouble-free, pain-free. Many are the afflictions of the righteous. But, Till He returns or calls us home, here in the power of Christ we can stand!

This program is a listener supported production of Revive Our Hearts in Niles, Michigan, calling women to freedom, fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ.

All Scripture is taken from the CSB unless otherwise noted.

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