One of my favorite hymns by Johnny Cash is entitled “I Shall Not Be Moved.” Originally an African-American spiritual, this song now resides in many church hymnals. There have been dozens of different verses added to the hymn throughout the years, but one of favorites is:

“When my cross is heavy, I shall not be moved,
    when my cross is heavy, I shall not be moved;
    like a tree planted by the water, I shall not be moved.”

Isaiah prophesied about Christ setting his face like flint and taking up his own cross to do what needed to be done, no matter the cost (Isaiah 50:7, Luke 9:51). When facing challenges, those who believe in Christ need to imitate his example and be willing to take up our own crosses of responsibility and trudge ahead, no matter the cost. When that cross is heavy, there is no whimpering allowed, and failure is not an option. We shall not be moved.

This song is based on four different passages of Scripture.

The first passage is this:

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.”
 — Psalm 1:1-3

Do you want to be blessed? Refuse to walk in step nor hand in hand with the wicked. Do not stand with sinners. Do not sit with mockers. “Bad company corrupts good morals” (1 Corinthians 15:33). We all know this, yet we are all guilty of falling into this trap at some point in our lives.

Who is the person like a tree planted by the water, who yields fruit, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does? He is the one who delights in the law of God, meditating on the law day and night. How shall we not be moved? By knowing and loving the law of God.

The second passage is this:

“I have set the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand,
    I shall not be shaken.”
 — Psalm 16:8

Similar to not being moved is not being shaken. A tree with deep and healthy roots is not fazed by strong wind and can easily withstand a storm. It is not easily shaken. So is the man who has set the Lord before him in all that he does. If you are planted firmly on the word of God, and if you fix your eyes on Jesus in every aspect of your life, you will be able to endure any trial.

The third passage is this:

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel 
    will neither slumber nor sleep.”
 — Psalm 121:1-4

Why will you not be moved? Because your Creator will not allow the believer to be moved. God does not slumber. There is never a time, nor a storm, during which he is asleep at the wheel. You will never experience a trial without him knowing and approving of that trial (James 1:2-4).

The fourth passage is this:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
He is like a tree planted by water,
    that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
    for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
    for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
 — Jeremiah 17:7-8

The blessed man is the one who trusts in the Lord. He is rooted in Christ and is watered by his word. When facing trials, he is not anxious, but he embraces the difficulty. He does not fear because he knows from where his nourishment and provision come. He never ceases from producing good fruit because he has been graciously given a good root.

Billy Graham once said: “If your faith is not rooted in the Bible, it will wither like a plant pulled out of the soil.” If you are a Christian, the Bible is your objective standard of truth, morality, and ethics. Within those pages are the very words of God himself. If you are rooted in anything other than the God-breathed Scriptures, you will wilt, you will wither, you will be shaken, you will cease to bear fruit, you will fear the heat, you will be anxious for the drought, you will be pulled out of the soil, and you will be constantly moved.

What happens when a moving object such as a car collides with an ancient and well-rooted tree? Which one moves after the collision? The tree does not move, but the car does. That tree may lose some bark and suffer some minor damage, but ultimately the tree is not shaken. The moving object takes the brunt of the impact, often ending in utter destruction.

Johnny Cash, beyond his song “I Shall Not Be Moved,” was quoted as saying: “I don’t give up because I don’t give up. I don’t believe in it.” Do not give up. Do not even believe in giving up. Do not fear the heat. Do not be anxious about the drought.

As the saying goes: “Never give up. Never give in!” Just like the tree planted by the water, when we are rooted in Jesus Christ, we shall never move, and neither shall we be moved.