ICE STORM '98 is still very fresh in our minds,
and it has served to remind us that we take many things
for granted, like hydro for lighting and cooking and
heating. Accessible water, safety on our roads, unlimited
supply of food and other necessities in life are items we
normally never have to worry about. Then they are taken
away temporarily and we are a "disaster zone."
As I thought about this, I realized that as
Christians there are certain things which cannot be taken
away from us. There are some certainties in life, things
which cannot be shaken. I WANT TO SUGGEST FOUR.
1. THE THRONE OF GOD CANNOT BE SHAKEN.
In Psalm 45, verse 6, we read, "Your Throne, O
God, will last for ever and ever." We can lift up our hearts
with gratitude that whatever else may happen, God's
throne remains secure. Isaiah 34 predicts that even the
stars in the skies will one day be shaken, but God, who is
above all, is eternal and immutable. Nothing can shake or
change Him. Hebrews 1: 10 - 12 says, "In the beginning,
O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the
heavens are the work of Your Hands. They will perish, but
You remain." It is a great encouragement to every child
of God to know that when everything else is shaken, the
throne of God can never be shaken.
2. THE WORD OF GOD CANNOT BE SHAKEN.
We are assured of this in Mark 13:31: "Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass
away." When we take the Bible in our hands, we can be
assured of two things: its promises cannot be shaken, and
its power cannot be shaken. There are promises for every
situation and circumstance in life; these become ours
when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. THE CHURCH OF GOD CANNOT BE SHAKEN.
The words of our Lord recorded in Matthew 16:18
assures us of this. "And I tell you, that you are Peter, and
on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades
will not overcome it." In this amazing statement, Jesus
was assuring His disciples, and us, that the church is built
on the solid foundation of His person and His work. There
is no other foundation. The visible church is to be tried
and tested and shaken. But the invisible, true church is
secure, stable and abiding.
4. THE CHILD OF GOD CANNOT BE SHAKEN.
There are scores of wonderful promises in the
Word of God that assure us of God's concern for every
one of His children, and of His pledge to keep them
secure until they are safely at home with Him in heaven.
The apostle Paul, because of his unrelenting faithfulness
to Christ, was in prison, abandoned by his friends, and
awaiting his death. Yet, he writes these words to Timothy:
"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not
ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am
convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted
to Him for that day."
In spite of ICE STORM '98 and all the other things
which threaten our security and well being, the most
important things in life cannot be shaken: GOD'S
THRONE, THE WORD OF GOD, THE CHURCH OF
GOD and THE CHILD OF GOD. These will stand and
stand for ever.
In Christ,
Floyd McPhee 
