God’s Promise

When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: “Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.” This means that the things on earth will be shaken, so that only eternal things will be left.

Hebrews 12:26-27

The Scriptures describe the Lord’s voice as so powerful that when he speaks, the mighty cedars are split and shattered. His voice strikes with lightning bolts and makes the desert quake (see Psalm 29) and shakes everything that can be shaken. When God acts, nothing can thwart his purposes or will, and he never breaks a promise. This passage from Hebrews describes an important promise: the voice of God will ultimately shake not only the earth but also the heavens. When this final shaking takes place, God will recreate the heavens and the earth. As one scholar said, “What remains after this cataclysmic event will be eternal.”

However, when things start shaking here on earth, it may not be a pretty picture; it can, in fact, cause great anxiety and fear in us. When the stock market falls hundreds of points, businesses, investors, and the whole economic system experience a great financial shaking. When a devastating, terminal disease strikes us personally, our plans are shaken, and our faith may be tested. When disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, or hurricanes hit, whole communities and countries are shaken to the core.

Yet during apparent chaos and cataclysmic events, we are to remember that God is still on his throne. There is absolutely no panic in heaven! These are the times when his mercies are on display. As Psalm 113:4 declares, “The LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens.” When all that can be shaken on earth and in our personal lives is shaken, in whom will we trust and hope?

Oh Lord our God, you are higher than the heavens and your voice shakes the earth. When all around me are dazed by the surprising shakings, help me trust in you and your eternal plan. Only you are worthy of trust, praise, honor, and glory.

God is never in a panic, nothing can be done that he is not absolutely Master of. . . . God alters the inevitable when we get in touch with him.

Oswald Chambers(1874–1917), Scottish minister and teacher