God Is Speaking Through the Shaking

By: Keefe Wilson

Saturday, July 5, 2025

At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Hebrews 12:26-27

Have you ever felt the ground literally shake beneath you? Back in 2012, my family and I were living in Okinawa, Japan. North Korea was threatening to launch a long-range missile, supposedly to test a satellite. But everyone knew what they were really doing, demonstrating their ability to strike a military target. The U.S. and Japanese forces were both on high alert, and tensions were sky-high. Everyone was praying the peace treaty would hold.

One day, a thunderous crack exploded outside our school building and the floor started shaking. Before long, the entire building was shaking! Instincts kicked in, and I shouted, "Get under your desks!" Some of my students were already screaming, but all of us were able to scramble for cover. My students were crying and I was praying! All of us were sure it was a North Korean missile, but then the loudspeaker crackled out a single word: "Earthquake." We were relieved, but we were all still shaken—literally and spiritually.

That day stuck with me, because our world is still being shaken. Earthquakes, wars, natural disasters, political unrest, and moral confusion constantly shake our world. In our personal lives, the things that seemed solid may start shifting. But as believers, we must pause and ask: What is God saying to us through the shaking? Throughout Scripture, when God wanted to make changes in the lives of His people, He often used times of shaking. He used floods, famines, invasions, and exile to get His people's attention.

As Christ Followers, we must realize God hasn't changed; He is shaking our world to get our attention! But if we lose our spiritual focus, our trust in God starts shifting. He isn't shaking things to destroy us, He is trying to wake us up! If your world seems to be shaking, try to see it as a spiritual housecleaning... God uses these times of "shaking" to shift our focus off the world and onto Him. God's shaking will strip away the false sense of security our world provides. Remember, the world's created things like money, success, and comfort, can't sustain us—only God can! Earthquakes and strong winds knock down the weaker trees, but the ones with strong roots endure. Be sure to stay rooted in Christ, He's our faith builder!

Ask yourself this question: What is God saying to me through all this shaking?