Many of you will recognise the title of this post, 'shaken, not stirred' which I have borrowed from James Bond 007. It has nothing to do with martinis, but it is all about being shaken.
In life things happen to us that cause us to feel shaken up; a traumatic experience, the loss of a dear one, a near miss on the road, a difficult encounter, or even an unsettling conversation with someone. As our bodies age, various ailments may cause our body to develop the shakes. All of this is uncomfortable at best, unnerving at most. Let's face it, life is full of shakes, especially here in New Zealand AKA "the shaky isles".
As we watch what is happening in our world right now, it is very obvious that there is a great shaking happening on many levels; in families, in society, in political systems and climate changes. Just in the last 2 weeks we have seen unprecedented floods in some unusual places including England, Belgium, The Netherlands, India, China and so many other places, many which have not even touched our news. Added to that there have been landslides, and sinkholes in many places (that are also rarely reported on our news), wildfires in Turkey, the USA and Canada.....and so it goes on with wars, famines and pestilences, serious earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Newsreaders are starting to use the word 'apocalyptic' to describe some of these events.
We are certainly living in unprecedented times on so many levels that it has given me much pause for thought. It reminds me of Jesus' words to his disciples in Matthew 24 when they asked him what would be the signs of his coming again, and of the end of the world. He said, "And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. …… And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold." (NLT)
Yes, our world is being shaken and many are fearful and growing hopeless in it all. How can we be shaken, yet not be stirred? This week I randomly read some verses of Psalm 46 which speak right into these days. Even though they were written hundreds of years ago, it was as though they were written for us today. Here is a clip from it; you can read the whole psalm for yourself......
God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.
Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge
….The nations are in chaos, and their kingdoms crumble,
God’s voice thunders, and the earth melts!.......
Come, see the glorious works of the LORD:
See how he brings destruction upon the world…..
“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honoured by every nation.
I will be honoured throughout the world.”
Psalm 112 speaks of the one who fears (reverences, bows the knee to) the Lord.... the righteous one, not trusting in his own good living, good works etc but he is trusting in the righteousness that can only come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has taken our sin and made us righteous, before a holy God. This is the one who will not be shaken. Yes his eyes will see all that comes; the carnage, the loss, the hopelessness, the anxiety, yet his heart will be steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (Psalm 112:7) This is the one who has hope for eternal peace. If your heart is shaking in fear of things coming upon the earth, you can choose to find peace if you will put your trust in Jesus, he gives a peace that passes understanding.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you that you are the only one who can truly give us peace in these troubled times. I pray for those who feel fearful and shaken, that they will choose to put their trust in you and find peace. Amen
