No matter where we stand in the
spectrum of opinions and theories about the present crisis, no matter how
strong our faith, we must agree on one thing: a shaking is occurring. Much is
being shaken - the economy, the government, the healthcare system, and yes,
even the church - at least in how it functions and gathers. Hopes and plans are
rattled. Things we depended on for comfort are distant. Support systems are
teetering. Yes, much is being shaken, but the Bible assures us that some things
cannot be shaken.
The writer of Hebrews talks about
God shaking the earth. "And His voice shook the earth then, but now He has
promised, saying, 'Yet once more I will shake the earth, but also heaven. This
expression, 'yet once more', denotes the removing of those things which can be
shaken, as of created things, so that those things which cannot be shaken will
remain." (Heb. 12:26-28) He is referring back to Mt. Sinai when the earth
shook, but, then, by quoting Haggai 2, pointing to a future time when "I
will again shake the earth."
Jesus speaks to his disciples of
wars, famines and earthquakes, but when they asked him about the signs of his
coming and the end of the age, he tells them in Mt. 24:8 "But all these
things are merely the beginning of birth pangs." We know that, once begun,
birth pangs intensify until they accomplish their purpose. Surely, we can all
agree that the birth pangs are growing stronger and coming more frequently.
Shaking is a process God uses. Shaking
removes what is temporary and leaves that which is permanent. Shaking is
uncomfortable but is a process we can learn to appreciate. Let's allow this
interlude, this "interruption" of our lives, to teach us to value the
lessons shaking brings.
When God does the shaking, it
accomplishes these five things:
·
It wakes you
Sometimes we have to shake our children a bit to rouse them
from a deep sleep. It's not the most pleasant manner to wake up, but sometimes
God needs to wake us up to get our full attention.
·
It harvests what is ripe
Think of how citrus fruits are harvested by shaking the
tree. The ripe fruit falls to the ground. God's shaking harvests what is ripe
in the life of a believer, both good and bad. We see the product of seeds
previously planted. It reveals what has borne fruit in our lives and what has
not. We have an opportunity to prepare for the next harvest.
·
It removes what is dead
When wind blows hard enough, it shakes dead leaves from the
trees and sometimes dead limbs and branches. God shakes us to remove our dead
works and lifeless ways.
·
It establishes closer to the
foundation.
What remains is closer to the foundation. All that we labor
for that is not supported by Him will be lost. We now have the opportunity to
build on the proper support structure.
·
It unifies
Relationships that are knit together in Him are
strengthened. Those that are not waver or fail. We realize what is important
and who is important.
On what foundation is God
establishing us? 1 Peter 2:5 tells us "You also, as living
stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ."
About we who are citizens of the
kingdom of heaven, Paul says in Eph.
2:18-22 "having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
Christ Jesus Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building,
being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you
are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." We
ourselves are building blocks of the dwelling place of God!
God's construction site has not been
shut down in this crisis. I suspect His work is accelerating. He is preparing
the church for His return, mortaring us together by His Spirt in unity.
As for me, after the shaking, when
the stones stop tumbling and I sit in the midst of the rubble, seeing how the
dust has settled, I ask myself….
If God woke me up, will I lull
myself back to sleep with the cares and busyness of the world or will I keep
myself awake, watching and alert in prayer? Am I roused with compassion for
those who are sick, dying, lonely, lost?
Is the fruit harvested juicy and
sweet, or do I need to reevaluate the seeds I've sown? Have I sown love,
understanding, compassion, peace? Have I sown my time and money?
As dried-up, dead works are blown
away, will my habits and ways go back to what they were or will I choose only
those things God directs? Will I consider each activity with wisdom like the
Proverbs 31 woman who "considered a field" before she bought it?
Have the structures I've depended on
proven flimsy and unstable? How does God want to restructure the strewn-about
pieces of my life and heart? Will I let Him do the rebuilding?
Has my living stone rolled far from
the foundation, alone and separated, or is it adhered and mortared tightly to
Jesus and to the adjoining stones? Do I need to move it back into unity? Will I
allow myself to be chiseled and rebuilt as a living stone, a living,
functioning member of the body of Christ?
Even when the chiseling hurts? Even when it is costly?
Will I remember Him? When the voices
of distraction shout out and demand to be heard, will I remember how sweet His
presence is in this time? Will I plan my
days to abide in this presence at all costs?
What an opportunity the shaking has
given! It is a preview of what will be shaken and what will stand! It reminds
me of the wisdom that resides in the house of mourning in the book of
Ecclesiastes, “for the mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the
mind of fools is in the house of pleasure." In America, we have often
dwelt in the house of pleasure. We are blessed. We must pray that, as we mourn,
more will see Jesus and seek His kingdom, the one that cannot be shaken.
"Therefore, since we receive a
kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to
God an acceptable service with reverence and awe." Heb. 12:28 As we see
more clearly all that can be shaken, let us offer to Him our gratitude and
praise for a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
