HEB 12:25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? 26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” 27The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken–that is, created things–so that what cannot be shaken may remain. 28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our “God is a consuming fire.”
Like most parents, I too often wonder in my heart what kind of future awaits my two very young children. My daughter Rebecca, who is just graduating from pre-school, is only 6. My son Caris, who is only finishing grade 3, is only 9. All I know is that we are in a very defining moment in human history. Never has the world become this volatile and erratic. More and more nations could no longer cope economically and politically. Powerful natural disasters are happening too often. Strains of deadly diseases are emerging. Family systems are disintegrating. Moral and spiritual decay have become the order of the day.
We learn from our scripture reading that there is one powerful word that captures all the instability and volatility that is happening around the world today. It is the word “shake.” Verse 26 read, 26At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. “To shake” literally means “to disturb”, “to agitate” or “to create a commotion.” In short, shaking always brings about a disruption, a disturbance or an interruption in the normal flow or pattern of life.
To experience shaking is not a pleasant thing. The fact is that when our lives are disrupted or when we are disturbed by unplanned events and unexpected circumstances, we are disheartened, we lose our composure and we become irrational . You see, human as we are, there is a strong desire in us to be in control. We want to be in command. We want to be above our situations. For many of us, it is this environment of control and predictability that we find our safety, our stability and even our self-worth. What we do not realize is that it is often our obsession with being in control that puts our lives in greater and more serious danger. It is also because of this desire to be in command that many of us have forgotten the basic and powerful principles of our faith in God and our dependence on his power.
Sadly, the world will continue to deceive itself that it can stand without God. It will continue to live under the delusion that God is irrelevant, and that God is not sufficient for our needs. The world will continue to force us to oppose the nature and character of God. It will continue to trivialize the things of the Spirit. But you see, in the end, when all is said and done, no life, no government or no nation will be spared from shaking and when the shaking does come, only those who are in Christ shall emerge victorious. There are two things that happen when God allows lives and situations to be shaken.
27The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken–that is, created things–so that what cannot be shaken may remain. This verse tells us that there are two kinds of things in the world: (1) the things that are created; and (2) the things that cannot be shaken. The “things that are created” stand for those that are finite, superficial and temporary. The “things that cannot be shaken” stand for those that are eternally valuable, indestructible and in the words Jesus himself, things that can never be taken away from us.
Truth has many definitions. But according to our scripture reading, truth is simply our ability to discern and to draw the line between “created things” and “things cannot be shaken.” We do not need to look far. In Negros Oriental alone, we have witnessed disasters and natural calamities that have opened our eyes once more to our helplessness and vulnerabilities.
The whole experience is humbling for the entire nation, even for those who had been spared. It is a powerful eye-opener that everything that our eyes can see is but fleeting and momentary. It is a powerful wake-up call from the Lord that it is time to snap out of lifestyles and attitudes that have become too dependent on wealth, material things and human achievements. Certainly, there experiences unveil our eyes to see the truth. It is these experiences that lead us to confront our greed and see that wealth is fleeting and material things have no power to save us in times of great trouble. In these times of shaking, God is giving us an opportunity to correct our misplaced priorities and give greater attention to the things that money cannot buy and things that never fade.
28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29for our “God is a consuming fire. It is important to remember that thanksgiving goes beyond our ability to say “Thank you.” One can say the words “thank you” over and over again and yet remain ungrateful in the eyes of the Lord. Thanksgiving is essentially an inner attitude of the heart. Thanksgiving is a spiritual posture within us that is birthed by the spirit of deep reverence, worship and awe before God.
But you see, most often, the spirit of thanksgiving cannot manifest in our lives because we are so full of ourselves. There is so much pride and false contentment clouding our hearts. Oftentimes, it takes a powerful and humbling experience for us to realize that we are powerless and finite. It takes a great shaking from the Lord for us to stop thinking highly of ourselves and to believe that we cannot even save our own selves. Only when this realization comes that we can truly learn to depend on God and be grateful for the sufficiency of his love and power.
Brothers and sisters, are you being shaken? Do you feel that things are beginning to fall apart? Are you losing control? Today, the Lord wants you to know that he is in control. Hold on tightly. Stand firm. God have mercy on us as we endeavor to endure these seasons of great shaking! Hopefully, we may come out of these experiences as better individuals – – – more mindful of our need for God and more determined to live our lives according to God’s truth, justice and grace. Amen!
