The Great Shaking

Psalm 62:1-2 “My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

Observation: In this beautiful psalm, David was satisfied to trust only in the Lord rather than upon anything his human efforts could produce. He said that his waiting was in silence, suggesting that true peace comes even in the midst of great turmoil if we will but trust in Him. My attention was captured, though, by one verse in particular that is repeated almost verbatim just four verses later: “He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken.”

Application: When God repeats something, we ought to consider it with special care. Here David asserted that he would not be greatly shaken. The implication, of course, is that a great shaking will come. In fact, God Himself promised to do the shaking, saying in Isaiah 13:13, “Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the LORD of hosts in the day of His burning anger.” This comes just one verse after God has promised to “make mortal man scarcer than pure gold.” Oh, joy! 

I have heard God’s promise that everything that can be shaken will be shaken, and have long associated that with the cataclysmic events at the end of the age.  But in reading today, the thought occurs that in preparation for that day, God does me the immense favor of regularly shaking me now over smaller things.  His plan seems to be that He will bring circumstances into my life now, things that He calls “momentary, light affliction” (2 Cor. 4:17) so I will be trained to trust only in Him when the great shaking arrives. 

These day-by-day shakings, these things like illnesses and painful marriages, rebellious children and unfair bosses, false accusations and financial stresses, are but preparation for the day when the ammo coming at me will be live. Now I am on the training field; then it will be the site of true battle. Like any loving Father, He is equipping me, getting me accustomed to the furious cacophony of weaponry so when live rounds are used, when the great shaking comes, I will instantly be at peace and take refuge in my Rock, my Salvation.

Prayer: Father, thank You that You don’t leave me uninformed about what’s coming, nor ill-prepared to meet it. Lord, I am so grateful for what I have learned about You through the hard places I’ve been in. Thank You that You alone are my Rock and my Salvation. Cause me to wait in silence for You today.

Comments

[Debbie]

This was so timely for me. I feel like I'm going through a shaking. All that I may have taken for granted materially is gone. Yet, when I view it from this perspective, it makes all the difference. He is my rock and my salvation. I'm looking forward to the time when I can look back and see that it really was only momentary.