The Lord
has been talking to me a lot about being shaken in the last week. It reminded
me of my post from April 29, 2013. (Click here to read the original post).
This
Thursday, a devotional I wrote will be published with The Upper Room, a devotional
magazine. Can you guess the title? Shaken.
Coincidence? No. Divine appointment? Definitely.
This time
the shaking had nothing to do with offense, irritation, or other catastrophes;
but it was an emotional shaking just the same. There are times in our lives
that the Lord authors divine shaking appointments. Not to scare us or challenge
our faith, but to sift through that which He cannot use and rebuild from the
scattered remains left after the dust settles.
To quote
myself from two years ago, “God’s version of shaking brings down works of
the flesh so that only the Spirit remains. Still not convinced? Here are just
some of the benefits of shaking:
·
It reveals what our foundation is made of and
brings us closer to it.
·
It awakens us.
·
It removes what is dead or useless.
·
It reveals weakness and breaking points.
So yes, shaking is necessary, and yes, shaking is Holy. I’ve learned the hard
way what your heart clings will be the substance of all your building
materials.
Bitterness - this material is brittle
and compromises the foundation; so toss that one aside for the Trash Collector.
Anxiousness - this one is just as unstable, but masks itself as fear, worry,
fretting, and loss of sleep. Again, it is unstable material so leave that one
by the curb, too. Hopelessness - this one turns to sand in the foundation so it
is useless, put it in the recycle bin to be rolled into the Faith compost pile.
Dear one, we serve a mighty God who
authored the heavens and the earth. Unfortunately, this includes earthquakes.
Choose to look for - and cling to - His presence and salvation amidst the
shaking. If you do, you will have strong materials for restoration.
I’m awake
now, and He is pruning what is dead or useless. My weaknesses are again
revealed within His loving embrace. Sometimes we have to be shaken and
break in areas, just to be rebuilt. Luke 3:5-6
Be
encouraged... for if you are in a season of shaking, a season of rebuilding
follows.
