Will not be moved”—what an inspiring declaration! Is it possible for us who are so easily moved by earthly things to come to a point where nothing can upset us or disturb our peace? The answer is yes, and the apostle Paul knew it. When he was on his way to Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit warned him that “prison and hardships” (Acts 20:23) awaited him. Yet he could triumphantly say, “But none of these things move me” (Acts 20:24 KJV).

Everything in Paul’s life and experience that could be disturbed had already been shaken, and he no longer considered his life or any of his possessions as having any earthly value. And if we will only let God have His way with us, we can come to the same point. Then, like Paul, neither the stress and strain of little things nor the great and heavy trials of life will have enough power to move us from “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). God declares this peace to be the inheritance of those who have learned to rest only on Him.

“The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it” (Revelation 3:12). Becoming as immovable as a pillar in the house of God is such a worthy objective that we would gladly endure all the necessary trials that take us there! HANNAH WHITALL SMITH

When God is the center of a kingdom or a city, He makes it strong “like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken” (Psalm 125:1). And when God is the center of a soul, although disasters may crowd in on all sides and roar like the waves of the sea, there is a constant calm within. The world can neither give nor take away this kind of peace. What is it that causes people to shake like leaves today at the first hint of danger? It is simply the lack of God living in their soul, and having the world in their hearts instead. R. LEIGHTON

“Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever” (Psalm 125:1). There is an old Scottish version of this psalm that strengthens our blood like iron:

Who clings to God in constant trust As Zion’s mount he stands full just, And who moves not, nor yet does reel, But stands for ever strong as steel!

There are both “upper and lower springs” in life, and they are springs, not stagnant pools. They are the joys and blessings that flow from heaven above, through the hottest summer and through the most barren desert of sorrow and trials. The land belonging to Acsah was in the Negev under the scorching sun and was often parched from the burning heat. But from the hills came the inexhaustible springs that cooled, refreshed, and fertilized all the land.

These springs flow through the low places, the difficult places, the desert places, the lonely places, and even the ordinary places of life. And no matter what our situation may be, these springs can always be found.

Abraham found them amid the hills of Canaan. Moses found them among the rocks of Midian. David found them among the ashes of Ziklag, when his property was gone and his family had been taken captive. And although his “men were talking of stoning him . . . David found strength in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6).

Isaiah found them in the terrible days when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded Judah, when the mountains themselves seemed to be thrown into the midst of the sea. Yet his faith could still sing: “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall” (Psalm 46:4–5).

The Christian martyrs found them amid the flames, the church reformers amid their enemies and struggles, and we can find them each day of the year if we have the Comforter in our hearts and have learned to say with David, “All my springs of joy are in you” (Psalm 87:7 NASB).

How plentiful and how precious these springs are, and how much more there is to be possessed of God’s own fullness! A. B. SIMPSON

I said, “The desert is so wide!”

I said, “The desert is so bare! What springs to quench my thirst are there? Where will I from the tempest hide?”

I said, “The desert is so lone! No gentle voice, nor loving face To brighten any smallest space.”

I paused before my cry was done! I heard the flow of hidden springs; Before me palms rose green and fair; The birds were singing; all the air Was filled and stirred with angels’ wings!

And One asked softly, “Why, indeed, Take overanxious thought for what Tomorrow brings you? See you not The Father knows just what you need?”