This week, cities in our nation are being shaken by riots. Los Angeles is at the top of the list of the cities being shaken. As concerning as such incidents are, a greater shaking will happen under the hand of God.

All the earthly shaking we see taking place is because people are deaf to the voice of God expressed in Jesus Christ. “Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking. For if the people of Israel did not escape when they refused to listen to Moses, the earthly messenger, we will certainly not escape if we reject the One who speaks to us from heaven!” (Hebrews 12: 25).

As impacting as the current shaking is, a greater shaking will come. “When God spoke from Mount Sinai, his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: ‘Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also.’ This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed so that only unshakable things will remain” (vs. 26-27).

The words “will be shaken” are translated to mean to agitate or cause something to totter. It also means to overthrow. Earthly systems that promise false hope will topple and be overthrown. As much as what we see taking place is of concern to us, God’s final shaking will do something more profound. He will cause all things not of His will to become so agitated that they will totter, topple, and become overthrown by His love.

The pain and destruction we see happening in our cities is the result of people doing what seems right in their own eyes. That choice does not consider the redeeming power of God’s love. Until that day comes when God does His final shaking, we cannot allow our faith to be shaken by what we see happening in our world.

Only God’s love can keep us safe from being sucked into the failed solutions that are the consequence of human thinking. The Lord rules all things, even the spectacles of human choices that cause us concern.