Not Be Shaken

Last night I ran from massive multiple tornadoes on foot all night long. They were everywhere. Yes, for those that don't know I do live right in the middle of the April fury. Our home somehow managed to get missed by less than a mile, but the damage was all around us. My husband had been home from work only 3 hours when the first tornado ripped through his work. My dad called as He watched one coming down across the street from his place of work right before they all ran across the street to seek shelter in a basement. We spent the day and night running back and forth across the street to our neighbors basement. 

It was a day that our children will never forget especially since after it happened they went with us to help those who were directly hit. They saw first hand how we can lose everything in mere seconds. I pray that this taught them to not put their treasures or hope in the things of this earth. We used this storm to help teach them this truth. We also used it to teach them that sometimes it takes God allowing these kind of things to happen to wake people up so that they remember that the only thing that lasts is Him. 

"At night my soul longs for You,
Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently;
For when the earth experiences Your judgments
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness." 

Isaiah 26:9 

I suppose all the thunderstorms that have come through here as of late renewed this day in my mind and so I saw tornadoes and debre flying in the air all night as I ran to seek shelter. The funny thing was in my dream the storms were all around me and trees falling and being ripped up and yet my hair was not even blowing. I was completely protected.

Then would you believe that I wake up this morning to the sound of thunder once again. I go outside to see if the wind and rain is going to blow me out of my sacred spot and I step out the door and just sit on the steps to listen to what was a gently rolling thunder.

Then too close for comfort lightening strikes and this crazy loud crackling thunder explodes and I physically jump up off the steps and my heart is pounding like mad in my chest. I am thinking to myself, "God that is so not funny!" Then I am immediately reminded of the awesomeness of my God and reminded that I need not take Him lightly in anyway. He is God.

Yes, the fear of God put in me in an instance. My mind goes to the mountain in Exodus when God was spoke to the people as a whole and when His voice thundered they all came to Moses and said "you talk to Him and then just tell us what He said..." I have to admit that this morning I sympathized with them... 

After my heart stills I sit back down outside under our breezeway and contemplate whether it is safe to bring my stuff out and then another lightening strike and simultaneous crazy loud crackling thunder explodes and shoots light out of the "off" bulb above my head... yeh, I go in the house.

I now crowd in my kitchen corner (because it is conveniently located next to the coffee pot and I don't have to stop my study time to refill my cup... just reach over). I am in Isaiah 55 today and then I am directed in my homework to research the times I have seen covenant in my studies these past few weeks. I love studying covenant, because our God is a covenant keeping God.

With my very recent morning experience this one verse spoke volumes and immediately sent me into a song of praise 

“'For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake,
But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you,
And My covenant of peace will not be shaken,'
Says the LORD who has compassion on you."

Isaiah 54:10

As I read about this covenant of peace that will not be shaken the Spirit of God in me took my mind to Romans

"Therefore, having been justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

through whom also we have obtained our introduction

by faith

into this grace in which we stand;

and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 

And not only this,

but we also exult in our tribulations,

knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 

and perseverance, proven character;

and proven character, hope; 

and hope does not disappoint,

because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." 

Romans 5:1-5   

No matter what mountains around us are removed and no matter what hills may shake, no matter how many storms come through our lives we know that our covenant of peace with the One who does the shaking will not be shaken. His lovingkindness will never be removed from those who are in covenant with Him.

Yes we may, no we will,  face tribulation, but in this we have a hope that we know through the love of God that is within us through the ever present indwelling Holy Spirit given to us that this hope that we have will not disappoint.

"...And you will know that I am the LORD;

Those who hopefully wait for Me will not be put to shame."

Isaiah 49:23

I don't know what storms you may be facing today. I don't know what hills may be shaking under your feet. What I do know is that God will not disappoint you. What I do know is that if you are His in the covenant of peace, justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, then stand in His grace and exult in the hope that is yours because you know above all else you are infinitely loved by your Creator and Eternal Father and Covenant Keeper.

Oh yeh... and here's the song of praise that I sang this morning as I read Isaiah 54:10...

Our God will not be moved, our God will never be shaken!

Praise Him with me :-)