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.
Greg,
ReplyDeleteObviously, waking up is not enough. Getting up out of the comforts of a warm bed of favor and affluence, preparing for the day of engaging people in forward-and-upward moving activity, and working with great energy to cooperate with God's purposes for our calling as a nation is what a wake-up call is designed to do.
No one was "thoughtful" enough to "recognize" that we deserved our worthy "vente" cup of triple espresso macchiato upon waking up...so we as a nation told ourselves that the expectations were too inconvenient to do. The warmth of the covers and the feeling of being "dissed" justified us slipping back into our slumber.
The "Starbucks" phenomenon represents America's elitist demand to be coddled, even though we are spoiled brats and need to get up and face the challenges we have been well-equipped to overcome.
The voice of the Holy Spirit is becoming fainter to our ears as time progresses. All the more reason to wake up and listen intently to what He has to say to the churches!--whether our cup of coffee is ready or not!!
Stan
This generation needs to replace being filled with caffeine with being filled with the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteHi Dr. Greg,
ReplyDeleteTo steal the line from a James Bond movie and apply it in a different context, the people have been "Shaken, not stirred." They have not been stirred to recognize that there is another dimension away from the temporal and physical plane that is at work. Those who are attuned to the master's voice see His handiwork everywhere. Those who are not, do not. And so, the messages of shaking go to those who have an ear to hear. To the rest, they are merely the rumblings of a hurt, broken, sinful world (and unknowingly heading towards judgment).
Godspeed! Larry
"shaken, not stirred" I love it. Sounds like a title for another blog post!! "Let him who has ears to hear, hear the word of the Lord."
ReplyDelete