The Shaking and the Glory

by Kurt Cotter
Pastor of Men’s, Marriage, and Pastoral Care Ministries

“For thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
– Haggai 2:6-9

I recently returned from a mission trip to Rocky Point, Mexico with a team of seven amazing people. We facilitated a men’s retreat with eighty men from various small churches plus a drug rehab home.

On the night before the event, while we were praying as a team, a 5.5 earthquake occurred. We all felt it while sitting in our chairs, and we saw things moving in the room. I actually got excited because I saw it as a sign of what God was about to do at the retreat. The reason for my excitement is because I truly believe that the glory of God is released in greater measure in an individual—or even in a nation—when there is a "shaking.” 

I believe that Haggai 2:6-9 gives us so much wisdom and comfort to understand God’s ways in this current time of upheaval. God said He would “shake all nations.” Why? So they will turn from their sins to “The Desire of All Nations.”

He also said He will fill His temple with His glory and the glory of this latter house will be greater than before. God’s glory is His presence. God desires to fill us with His presence—as individuals and as nations. But what is required is repentance. As Peter said:

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord”
–Acts 3:19

When we humble ourselves and turn to Jesus with all of our hearts, God brings times of refreshing from His presence. The Greek word for “refreshing” is “catching of breath” or “revival.” God desires to bring revival to our hearts and to the nations.

“The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts…”

Many of you who are reading this have gone through tremendous financial loss; and some have even lost your jobs. I’m so sorry. I believe this little phrase is put here to assure you that your Father in heaven will continue to supply your needs according to His riches in glory.

So, back to my story. As we started our men’s retreat in Mexico that Saturday morning, the glory of God truly fell. Many men were transformed in His presence. We saw fifteen salvations and fourteen healings for the glory of Jesus!

“In this place, I will give peace.”

This is the promise Jesus gave:

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
–John 14:27

In the midst of the shaking and turmoil around you, may He calm the storm and grant to you His peace.

He Is With Us

by Faith Cummings
Pastor of Women’s, Drive Through Prayer, and Counseling Ministries

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
–Matthew 28:20

Recently my dear friend Karen North shared her blog post with me regarding hidden anxiety.  

Some people’s anxiety is apparent. We hear it in their voice, in their reactions to these times of national and global upheaval, and even in their prayers. 

For others of us who don’t feel anxious it expresses itself in ways such as an inability to quiet the mind enough to concentrate for extended periods of time, or the continual twitching of a foot when forced to sit still.  

Anxiety, whether hidden or glaringly apparent, needs to be brought to Jesus if we are to find peace. 

When I recognized my “hidden” anxiety, I became very honest with God about why I believed it to be reasonable. So many very painful things happen in this life and we never know when another painful event will happen. During days when the whole world seems to be in danger, the possibility of bad circumstances seems to escalate.  

The Lord’s answer to my fear is simply, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” So, no matter how painful circumstances become, I can trust that I will have a friend who knows my heart, cares deeply about what happens to me, and will stand, sit, or cry with me.  

My trust is in Him, not that everything will turn out great, but that He will carry my heart.

What Is Our Response?

by Eddie Morales
Director of Student Ministries / Missions

Let’s be real. We can’t ignore all that is going on right now in our world. We look at news reports. We look at the economy. We look at ourselves and our past experiences. Don’t get me wrong, we shouldn’t be ignorant or act blindly, but we need to keep our eyes on Jesus so much more than anything else. Because, if we are not careful, if our attention is focused on ourselves and the world around us, we can end up being mastered by fear and worry.

As I was praying and thinking about what to share, I was drawn to 2 Chronicles. The Lord highlighted a few things that I want to share in response to fearful times.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we find Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, faced with a very troubling situation. He had just finished some spiritual “house cleaning,” making sure that his people were following God and going about their business in a God-honoring way. Shortly after, he received word that several enemy nations were coming together to attack him and his land. This was very abrupt and unexpected news. Under the pressure and weight of the news, Jehoshaphat was afraid (verse 3). In some translations, it says that he was terrified, alarmed and shaken.

I think that we can all relate to this right now in one way or another. What is happening in our society has been in many ways abrupt and unexpected. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding health, travel, jobs, school, family, the future.

However, Jehoshaphat’s response to his own fear is what captured my attention:

“Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord,” (ESV).

He resolved to seek the Lord! He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast.

Jehoshaphat then prayed a prayer of recognition, remembering God…

“are you not the God who is in heaven…power and might are in your hand…are you not the God who…” (verses 6 – 12, CSB).

He remembered God and what he had done. He ended his prayer with an authentic plea:

“We do not know what to do, but we look to you” (verse 12, CSB).

Then the Lord responds—the Almighty God, Creator of the heavens and the earth, and all that is seen and unseen—the God who appoints kings, who provides for the sparrows and clothes the wildflowers—our God, the Faithful One, answered:

“This is what the Lord says: DO NOT BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED BECAUSE OF THIS VAST NUMBER, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS, BUT GOD’S…YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FIGHT THIS BATTLE. POSITION yourselves, STAND STILL and SEE the SALVATION of the Lord. HE IS WITH YOU, Judah and Jerusalem.” (verse 15 & 17). [Emphasis mine.]

Do not be afraid. He is with you. This is a reminder and an encouragement, and it is echoed throughout the Bible.

I think of the song, “Surrounded.” The lyrics say:

“It may look like I'm surrounded
But I'm surrounded by You
This is how I fight my battles
This is how I fight my battles.”

Maybe this is just a moment of pause. There is not much we can do other than to take the necessary precautions. And, yes, it may look like the walls are closing in a bit, and that can be scary, but I invite you to position yourself by seeking the Lord in prayer, worship, fasting. Then stand still and be present. Wait for the Lord to show up like he has done before and like he will continue to do in the future. Resolve to seek the Lord and choose to be surrounded by Him today.