Unshakable
By Shirley Mitchell
“So don't turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn't get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he's told us this quite plainly—he'll also rock the heavens: ‘One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.’ The phrase "one last shaking" means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered.
You see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God. For God is not an indifferent bystander. He's actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won't quit until it's all cleansed. God himself is Fire!”
Hebrews 12:25-29 (The Message)
Since I have returned from Asia, I have gotten sick. Last week, I had to leave work early because I had a viral infection that gave me chills. This week my doctor diagnosed me with asthmatic bronchitis. She prescribed for me some strong medication for my lungs. The first day that I took them I still went to work, but at lunchtime I had to call my husband to come get me. It was the first time that I have ever had to ask him to drive me home. Although I had not told my husband my symptoms as soon as I got into the vehicle, he commented that I was shaking. My hands and legs were trembling.
When he left me alone with my thoughts and God, I started to meditate on the word “shake.” God took me on a journey through His Word this year on what He has shaken and will shake. He also had me study what can be shaken and what can’t be shaken.
We live in a time where many people are shaken. The economy is fragile, and the world’s stock markets are volatile. Some people have lost their jobs, and others are afraid of losing their jobs. Some people are afraid of the rumors about terrorist Muslim groups. Some people are afraid of, some are afraid of Iran, some are afraid of Russia, and others are afraid of them all. Some people are afraid of what the doctor might say or has said. Some people are afraid of their spouse’s feelings while others are afraid of their kids’ actions.
All of these things are making more people tremble than I have ever seen in my life. I see so much shaking in the hearts and minds of people. I hear it in people’s voices when they ask me for advice. Psalm 10:6 says that it is the wicked man who “says to himself, ‘Nothing will shake me; I'll always be happy and never have trouble.’ " So, we know that we will have times in our lives when things happen that have the ability to shake us.
Psalm 15 lists many righteous deeds and then tells us that whoever “does these things will never be shaken.” It is a list of good things to follow and to try to live our lives by, but you and I both know that our salvation is not by works because we can’t be 100% righteous. Psalm 16:8 summarizes what is possible for you and me. “I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” It is possible for us to set the LORD always before us, in every part of our lives, and in every part of our hearts.
People may shake their fist at God or shake their heads at us, but in the end there is only one shaker who matters. It only matters what God shakes. Job says about God in Job 9:6, “He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble.” Psalm 29:8 tells us that “the voice of the LORD shakes the desert.” Isaiah 30:28 says our LORD shakes the nations. Isaiah 13:13 says He makes the heavens tremble and the earth shake in the day of His burning anger against sin. God has proven His power over and over. Scripture records a few times of just small demonstrations of His power. In Acts 4:31, the early church prayed, and “the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.” In Acts 16:26, it tells us that a violent earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, loosened the prisoners’ chains, and opened the prison doors freeing Paul and Silas.
Someday God will shake up this world. The world will be in chaos. God has not made me His prophet so I do not know how close we are to the end times. But yes, I have said before that we are experiencing the birth pains, not necessarily because of the economy. In teaching session 7 of Jesus Lives, I speak about the signs of the times in Matthew 24 and show you how we can know that it is close. However, don’t let that shake you. There is one thing that I want for you and me to be focused. We must focus on having our relationship with God to be the number one priority of our lives. We must be so in love with Him, and our relationship must be so strong with Him that no matter what “birth pain” comes our way we are not shaken.
Lastly, someday you and I will receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Hebrews 12:26-28 says that God will shake the earth and the heavens. He will remove the things that can be shaken so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain. He will unveil His unshakable kingdom. We will respond with worship and thankfulness. However, we can respond right now with awe and gratitude that though the mountains may shake and the hills be removed, God’s unfailing love for us will not be shaken, nor His covenant of peace removed (Isaiah 54:10). Hallelujah!
Pray with me: O Father God, You have said in Your compassion, Lord, though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet Your unfailing love for us will not be shaken nor Your covenant of peace be removed (Isaiah 54:10).
The world may shake, but I choose to set You ever before me. Because You are at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8). I want to be unshakable by the world. You alone are my rock and my salvation. You are my fortress so I will never be shaken (Psalm 62:2). I want to brim over in worship of You.
If I ever start to shake, help me to discern who the shaker is. If it is not You, then, Holy Spirit, prompt me to examine my heart if I have not made You my fortress. Search my thoughts and reveal anything in me that is false and that has left an opening. Lead my prayer life to a greater depth. If I should tremble because You are shaking the ground, then let me respond to You the way a righteous woman or man would. Lead me to a deeper place with You. Protect me by Your mighty Hand.
I long for my real home, heaven. I wait in anxious expectation for Your return and the unshakable kingdom. Come quickly, Lord Jesus, come! It’s in Your Name that we pray, in the Name of the Lion of Judah and the Lamb of God, in Yeshua’s Name, Amen.