Steadfast, Immovable Love
by Donavon L Riley

God calls us not into the world’s war, where noise is the weapon and chaos the creed, but into something older, something carved from silence. The world slashes about in its fevered pitch, clutching for power, for a grip on something real, convinced that noise alone can conquer. But Christ, in His fierce humility, walks a path of stillness and shadows. His voice isn’t in the thunder or the clanging cymbals but in the silent soil beneath our feet, in the spaces where breath and heartbeat find their truest rhythm. God doesn’t demand that we outshout the noise, but instead that we step sideways, slipping into the quiet where He dwells like an ancient oak rooted deep.

There is no marching in lines here, no banners unfurled to meet the chaos head-on. God meets the frenzy with quiet defiance, wielding peace like a sword. He draws us into that defiance, into a world shaped by mystery and soft light, where strength is born not of raised fists but of rooted souls. Christ stands as our stronghold, not by overpowering but by transforming—the silence we hold becomes armor, becomes strength that the world’s shouting can’t shake. He does not rally us with battle cries; He whispers, calling us to listen, to bend into the quiet, to settle into a peace that doesn’t break. This is not a retreat; this is the fierce, holy resistance of those who trust in the steady heartbeat of the Father.

And in that quiet, God’s hand moves. The Spirit breathes life into our cracked places, filling us with the kind of stillness that swallows fear. There, God Himself becomes the victory, not through force or fury, but by drawing us into His stillness. His peace shields us, not as armor glinting in the sun, but as roots sink deeper, hidden yet unshakable. Here, beneath the noise, He gathers us to Himself, guarding us in the spaces beyond sound, beyond sight—a sanctuary where His presence outlasts all clamor. And in that silence, we find ourselves remade, saved by a God who fights, not by shouting but by steadfast, immovable love.

By Donavon Riley

Donavon Riley is a Lutheran pastor, conference speaker, author, and contributing writer for 1517 and The Jagged Word. He is also a co-host of the Banned Books and Warrior Priest podcasts. He is the author of the books, "Crucifying Religion,” “The Withertongue Emails,” and, “The Impossible Prize: A Theology of Addiction.”

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