A Path Among the Rocks

This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Hebrews 12:27

Perhaps today finds you in the aftermath of a storm—maybe even the storm of your life.  In the quiet stillness that seems so loud its deafening to you, you survey the wreckage.  Perhaps you feel somewhat hollow and exhausted, mentally, physically and spiritually, after what you’ve just been through.    

As I read this verse, I thought about the aftermath and what remains when the Lord, in His loving and Sovereign will, sets about to ensure that we have a firm foundation by shaking loose what cannot withstand.  He does this because we need a foundation that all hell can come against and still not move.  I think we all, in our logical reasoning being a believer in Christ, can understand the why.  But’s it’s the enduring it, the surviving it, that’s hard.    

Our verse above speaks to the shaking loose of those things that we have somehow allowed to become part of our life foundation that, while they may seem solid, in reality they have weak places.  Maybe even cracks under the surface that won’t withstand the pressure of life as a believer that will surely increase as we move closer to the end of the age and Christ’s return. 

Whether that’s a particular attitude, viewpoint, relationship, social status, financial status, political status, church membership or any other thing that says “this is me – this is my identity – this is who I am – this is what I am relying on.”  If this is what we have as our life foundation, it’s not enough.  And the Lord will send something that shakes us so thoroughly, only what remains that is genuine and accepted by God will withstand it. 

My dear friend, please know that the Lord’s shaking of things in your life does not mean an intent to destroy your life as you know it, but it does mean that He is after a refinement in you and in me so that our faith is made stronger.    

1 Peter 1:6-7 tells us:

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

To be sure, refinement is not fun.  The verses above tell us of the grief we may experience through the trials that are meant to shake loose what is not serving the genuineness of your faith – which is the most precious thing of all to the Lord.  

If you have experienced, or you are in the middle of, a trial that has shaken you completely apart, you are at a critical crossroads in your life.  Many people find themselves choosing the path that leads away from God because they think that God has left them; otherwise, this shaking event would not have occurred. 

Please don’t take that road.  It only leads to a spiritual wilderness.  Trust me, I can tell you from a very personal experience, that moving away from God during your trial is not the answer. 

I know it’s hard to see the path ahead.  So please, dear friend, this is where we must dig deep.  Stay on the path that walks in fellowship with Jesus.  It’s OK to ask all the questions you need to about this shaking event, but stay close to Him.  Don’t rely on your emotions because human emotions are reactive – instead, wait and rely on the Holy Spirit to guide you and teach you during this refining process.  He does have the answers.  Sometimes, we are delayed in receiving the clarity that we so desperately seek so that we learn to trust and lean on the only One who cannot be moved. 

The Apostle Paul felt the same way in 1 Corinthians 1:9-10:

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.  But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead.  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us.  On Him we have set our hope that He will deliver us again.

God is above all things – and, though it may feel like your world is turned upside down, or perhaps torn down, you can know and believe and stand on what cannot be shaken, and that is God’s love and care for you (See Romans 8:38-39).  

Perhaps you are not ready to hear and truly believe this next part yet, but God is for you, not against you, and while right now things are painful, what remains in your life will be good, and pure, and honest.  God is not the author of confusion and He cannot lie.  If you are shaken, you can trust that the Lord is overseeing it, and that what remains will be a firm foundation for your faith and your life. 

Proactive Verse:  1 Peter 4:19 – So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Defensive Verse:  Luke 6:48 – They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.