On September 11, 2001, America was shaken. Now eleven years later, it seems it was just the beginning. Since then, 9 of the 10 costliest hurricanes in American history have occurred, along with the worst tornadoes in a half-century, and the worst drought since 1930. Even the economy has been severely shaken.
And it isn’t just in America. God says, “I will shake all the nations” (Haggai 2:7). Japan suffered its worst disaster since World War II by earthquake and tsunami that led to a nuclear meltdown. New Zealand had the worst earthquake in its history. And Haiti's earthquake was the second deadliest in all of human history. Russia and China had their worst droughts in two centuries. The Arab world has been shaken through unrest and revolution, leaving Israel shook up. And the European Union has been shaken by the threat of bankruptcy by at least 3 of its members.
Is God shaking the nations? Are they listening? “Be careful you do not refuse to listen to Him who is speaking...you will certainly not escape if you reject the One who speaks from heaven, saying, Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also” (Heb. 12:25-26). I don't know about the entire world, but if 9/11 and subsequent events were America's wake-up call, I'm afraid she rolled over and went back to sleep.
Last month, U.S. employers added only one-third the number of jobs needed, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged at 8.2%. A normal unemployment rate is about 5 or 6%. It's beginning to look like 8.2% is the "new normal."
A downturn in prosperity is a change that is beyond our control. And nobody likes ‘out-of-control’ changes—they unhinge our plans and upset our ordered lives! But let’s be honest. Were it not for these divine challenges to our well-constructed lives, we would grow entirely independent of God.
David said, “Because they have no changes, they fear not God” (Ps. 55:19): an apt description for our nation, so confident of success that fear of God is ridiculed. So to keep us from that, God shakes things up (Heb. 13:26). And our first reaction is usually frustration! Thus, Isaiah says, "What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, 'Stop, you're doing it wrong'” (45:9). Since we are living in a time of greater change than any time in human history, I think we will have to get used to these shake-ups. It looks like ‘out-of-our-control’ is the “new normal.”
The increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters (particularly earthquakes) along with a worldwide recession has really shaken people up. And like scared occupants running out of a shattered building, shaken people are spilling out into the streets. And not only in the U.S. And it didn’t begin with Occupy Wall Street, but earlier this year in Tunisia, followed by Egypt, etc. The economic recession and high unemployment has uncorked the rage of the middle class toward the wealthy: a “people” shake.
A recent poll of 1,000 Americans reveals that 7 out of 10 are very pessimistic about an economic recovery anytime soon. And almost everyone believes another major terrorist strike in the US is inevitable. To the natural eye, everything seems to be turning irretrievably awful. In the words of Elvis, “I’m all shook up,” or, in the somewhat more hallowed words of the Lord: “I will shake the nations” (Haggai 2:7). Earthquakes have turned into nation-shakes.
Haven’t you noticed that even people who don’t believe in God are beginning to wonder if these things mean that we’re nearing the end of the world? Jesus told us these things would increase as time grew short: “When these things begin to happen, stand with confidence! The time when you will be set free is near” (Luke 21:28). So, keep looking up; don’t look down; and don’t be shaken. But like David, say, “I know the LORD is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me” (Psalm 16:8).
I’ll bet you think I’m referring to yesterday’s surprise earthquake on the East Coast. But the idiom “shake up” could refer to any number of things going in the world today: nervous investors unable to trust a shaken stock market; the Congressional shake-up over the failed ‘debit increase’ negotiations; or the shaken lives of Texas farmers by the driest 10-month period in Texas since 1895. And we are still feeling the effects of the shaking up of Japan’s post-tsunami economy. And then there is the summer of discontent in the North African and Middle East countries. And these are but a few of the natural and political catastrophes that have our world all shook up.
To “shake up” means to jostle and toss someone or something back and forth. To “shake someone up” means to shock or upset someone. Oftentimes, a container of liquid needs to be shaken before it can be consumed or used. The idiom is also used in “shaking up” an organization—to make it more effective. But the term isn’t always negative: “shaking up” can be good for a dull relationship.
But one thing is certain. The God of the Universe (the One we are privileged to call our Father) is shaking up things, people, and nations. The reason earthquakes are frightening is that they shake the ground we stand on. What better reminder than yesterday’s startling East Coast quake that we should be standing on firm ground, “firmly rooted and built up in Him and established in our faith” (Col. 2:7), not forgetting God’s promise, "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also. This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain…so we can receive a Kingdom that is unshakable" (Hebrews 12:26-28, edited).
As historically eventful as the Japanese tsunami was, there is something of even greater historical importance. It was the first natural disaster in history to be broadcast in ‘real time’ (live) across the planet! After the quake, the 45 minute lapse before it reached the coast of Japan was enough time for camera crews to get in place. And the international alarm was sounded by cells, texts, and tweets.
The world is now connected in a way that was only imagined by science fiction authors: people to people; people to machines, machines to machines. We are a global community. We need to realize that we are now entangled with everything that happens—everywhere. Wireless technology, once a tool for communication [called ‘information sharing’] has become change agent for societies, e.g., Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya—can Yemen and Bahrain be far behind? Why do you suppose the first thing the Egyptian and Iranian governments did to combat their protest movements was to shut down the Internet? Intercontinental communication through hand-held devices is the greatest change catalyst this world has ever known.
We now have the communications technology, transportation, and the pro-globalization media necessary to usher in a one world government. (The United Nations and the World Trade Organization have already begun taking preliminary steps for its formation.) Will global recession, political destabilization in the Middle East, increased terrorism, and the desire for security induce people to give up their national sovereignty for global governance? Our 21st century crises transcend national boundaries and beg for international solutions. In the 1940’s, H.G. Wells predicted that wireless communications would result in a "new world order"—a “scientifically-coordinated world state and planned economy.” Does it not seem that the future described by H.G. Well is here?
Why is this important to us believers?—because the emergence of a one-world government will set the stage for apocalyptic events—“the day of the Lord.” The world is in a chaotic state of affairs—not by accident, but by God’s design. The prophet Haggai warned of a time of divine judgment and justice that will precede the “day of the Lord”: “In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth. I will shake the oceans and the dry land, too. I will shake all the nations…” (Hag 2:6-7). More than five centuries later, the author of Hebrews quoted Haggai, but with this promise: “This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left” (12:27). Let us all make sure we are invested in things that cannot be shaken, and let us pray that God will help us to discern the times in which we live (Mat. 16:3).
Noah’s ark is a picture of salvation in Jesus. It also pictures faith in Jesus. It took faith to build the boat and faith to get into the boat. It even took faith to stay in the boat until it was time to receive what God promised! Faith is the boat (the vehicle) that gets you to the promises of God. But you have to stay in it.
One time, Jesus told the disciples to get into the boat because they were going to the other side of the lake. Then unexpectedly, a severe storm threatened to capsize them. They must have wished they had never gotten into the boat. Similarly, when unexpected ‘storms’ occur in our lives, we question whether we really heard the Lord—our faith is challenged—and we wonder if this ‘boat’ (our faith) will save us.
Jesus rebuked the storm; then He rebuked them for their lack of faith. Like those disciples, we must get into faith if we are to reach the place of our calling. The challenge we all face is to stay in faith. It is when you are in the boat (faith) in the middle of a storm that your faith is either shaken or proven. (Sadly, too many people panic, and their faith is shipwrecked!)
Undoubtedly though, there will be times you wonder if you got on the wrong ‘cruise.’ But don’t, instead follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and patience (Heb. 6:12).
