When My World Was Shaken

By Darla Butterfield September 4th, 2026

My phone buzzed with a text from my husband: "Good morning… sort of… call me when you can."

That didn't sound good. I called him immediately and found out the board at the nonprofit where he worked had voted to restructure their budget and eliminate his position. He'd work through the end of April, but after that, no job. His third layoff in less than two years.

At Arise, we had recently decided on our theme for 2026–2027: Unshakable Faith. That morning in April, I knew I was about to live out, in real time, the very theme we'd chosen. My world had just been shaken. Would my faith survive it?

Change was coming, and it wasn't a change we wanted. It hurt to know we were facing another season of unemployment, uncertainty, and unknowns. Questions loomed in my head: How would we pay our bills? How long would this last? As we prayed together, I sensed the Lord reminding me that He had a plan, even if I hadn't seen it yet.

It was in those early moments of that unsettling news that the depth of the roots of my faith was revealed. I realized that through the storms of the previous layoffs we had endured, God had been growing my faith, teaching me to trust His character, and preparing me for this very moment.

It wasn't easy. There were tears, questions, and moments when fear would suddenly grip me without warning. But there was also peace, comfort, and a sense of God's loving presence enveloping me when I needed it most.

I learned what it looked like to have unshakable faith… not because I was so resilient in my own strength, but because I knew Who to go to when the shaking began. It was the Holy Spirit who held me, reminded me of the truth of His Word that I had hidden in my heart, and allowed my faith to be strengthened, not lost, in the midst of the storm.

David writes in the opening verses of Psalm 62:

Truly my soul finds rest in God;    

my salvation comes from him.

Truly he is my rock and my salvation;    

he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

David knew that God was his firm foundation, the solid rock to anchor his life upon, so that when the storms hit, his faith would remain intact, unshaken. This year at Arise, we'll explore how we develop that kind of unshakable faith. In our Fall Bible studies, we'll learn how to walk with God and listen to the Holy Spirit as He guides us through the storms of life. In our teaching series for Moms of Grace, we'll learn how to be equipped as mothers to stand firm in what we believe and build a foundation of unshakable faith. At our Deeply Rooted Fall Retreat, we'll explore what it means to be a woman whose faith runs deep enough to hold her through any season, unshaken.

Since that phone call in April, I've walked through a season I didn't choose, but one that drew me closer to the God who doesn't change. He isn't shaken, even when it feels like our world is falling apart. There were moments I wondered if He would show up on time to meet our needs… and He wrote a testimony in our lives that brought Him glory and reminded us that He is our provider, and He's faithful.

My husband now has a new job that he loves. It came at just the right time. I've learned that my hope and faith isn't in a job, a 401(k), a healthy body, or a stocked pantry. My faith is built on the solid rock of my God, who is never shaken. Join us this year at Arise and learn how you can build an unshakable faith.