A Kingdom that Cannot Be Shaken

Haiti Earthquake 2010

photo source

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.

- Psalm 46




See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.
If they did not escape when they refused him
who warned them on earth, how much less will we,
if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?
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.

Therefore, since we are receiving
a kingdom that cannot be shaken,
let us be thankful,
and so worship God acceptably
with reverence and awe,
for our “God is a consuming fire.”

- Hebrews 12:25-29

My grandson Elijah turns five months old today.

Of course, our family rejoices. After five months, this baby has grown healthy and strong. He has brought such joy into our hearts by his happy disposition. He certainly is full of smiles and laughter... so innocent and so unaware of the kind of world that he is growing up in.

My heart's prayer for my two grandchildren is based on the uncertainty of our times. I pray God will keep them safe in the midst of the evil, the turbulence, the danger all around.

Psalm 46 is one of my favorite psalms. It speaks of the reality of our life here on earth.

It has been said that we are living in the generation of the Lord's return. We see Matthew 24 beginning to happen right before our very eyes.

The earthquakes and massive destruction taking place one after the other are obvious signs of the end of the age.

The word of God is quite explicit about these things:

“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.

So that what cannot be shaken may remain.

God alone is the Solid Rock on which we stand.

If we have put our trust in Him, then we are safe.

We will not fear, though the earth give way...

We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

How I love these words from Hebrews 12: We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.

And who are those into whose hands this kingdom will be entrusted?

Those who are trustworthy, faithful ones... those who will persevere till the end. Those who will overcome. Those who will endure.

There are things that cannot be openly shared here, but God knows what is on my heart. And how my heart cries for these my beloved grandchildren and the rest of my family as we enter into the last days, when what is on our hearts is being sifted and sorted out, and our faith is being proven and tried.

Will we keep trusting God... will we hold on to Him? Will we know Him as the God who always keeps His promises?

Will we be as men and women who do not judge according to what their natural eyes can see, but who will walk by faith, and not by sight?

The promise is sure: God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.



My prayer for Elijah on his fifth month:

Grow up to be a man of faith, dear grandson.

Grow up to be a man of courage!

Be as one who will learn to declare, together with the psalmist, this "exuberant declaration of faith" -

The Lord is my light and my salvation
Whom shall I fear
The Lord is the stronghold of my life
Of whom shall I be afraid?

There is a huge deposit of faith in your bloodline - both your father and your mother were nurtured in faith.

You are a fourth generation recipient of the faith gene. But I believe that it just did not start four generations ago.

This is the very kind of faith that has been passed down from Noah... to Abraham... to Isaac... Jacob... Joseph... Moses... Joshua... Caleb... Daniel... Ezekiel... Paul.

And so I declare that that seed of faith embedded in your spiritual DNA will grow as it is watered by prayers offered to heaven for you.

I speak faith to your tiny heart. You will grow up knowing God and putting your trust in God... the Promise Keeping and Covenant Keeping God.

In the midst of this perverse and faithless generation, your faith will shine strong.

Your faith will make you fearless like a Daniel in the lions' den... a Moses before a mighty Pharaoh... a Joshua before the walls of Jericho.

Faith is caught, not taught...

Indeed, may you see faith modeled all around you!

And faith does not grow on trees, dear little one. It is sown as a tiny seed, and is watered by obedience.

I pray and trust that obedience will be a part of your training and upbringing, that you may learn to obey at a young and tender age... because obedience is what builds faith... that you may indeed grow up to be a mighty man of faith.

Obedience will be the foundation of your faith... and you will be one of the faithful ones to whom God will entrust the eternal kingdom that cannot be shaken!

Love always,

Nana


Shown below are pictures of Elijah's "firsts"...

First beach experience - April 11, 2011





First visit to Lolo (Grandpa) Ernie's grave - April 2, 2011


A truly yummy chocolate mini cake baked by Chosen One to mark Elijah's fifth month of life!



Celebrate what you want to see more of.

- Thomas J. Peters