A Little Journey from Hebrews 12, to Psalm 40, to Exodus 4

Finding a way forward by going backwards through the Bible

New Testament: Shaking

In Hebrews 12:26-30 it says this:

The earth was rocked at the sound of his voice from the mountain, [that is Mount Sinai– Ed.] but now he has promised,

“Once and for all I will not only shake the systems of the world,

but also the unseen powers in the heavenly realm!”

Now this phrase “once and for all” clearly indicates the final removal of things that are shaking, that is, the old order, so only what is unshakeable will remain. Since we are receiving our rights to an unshakeable kingdom we should be extremely thankful and offer God the purest worship that delights his heart as we lay down our lives in absolute surrender, filled with awe. For our God is a holy, devouring fire! (TPT)

These last months have felt like God is doing some shaking. The whole earth is feeling it. Nothing humans make can stand when God shakes the earth. Normal human systems, like international airline travel, are not really functioning.

This shaking has been described as a kind of pruning. This very much resonates with me right now. My ministry, Mission Adventures is being pruned by God. But also, “I am being pruned by God”. Of course, the point of pruning is greater fruitfulness. It often does not feel pleasant, but it is certainly not punishment. This pruning is for future fruitfulness.

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Psalms: Waiting

Psalm 40 is one of my favorites— in part because of the U2 song— and yes, I am that old. The song lyric parallels the psalm and it goes like this:

I waited patiently for the Lord.

He inclined and heard my cry.

He brought me up out of the pit

Out of the miry clay.

I will sing, sing a new song.

I will sing, sing a new song.

How long to sing this song?

How long to sing this song?

How long, how long, how long

How long to sing this song?

I just love the idea of singing a new song… I went to a U2 concert, back when we could go to things like concerts. And it was special. They started their tour here in San Diego, and on that first night, the last song they played was this song 40. As they repeated the chorus again, the whole arena, 18,000 people, all sang it together. One by one, the band members walked off stage as the lights came on. Yet, the crowed kept singing, repeating the chorus, “I will sing, sing a new song…” For more than two minutes, thousands of voices rang out with the words to this psalm. It was magical. For me it was a moment of public worship, and the presence of God was thick.

Note the first part of that song: “I waited patiently for the Lord...” and, “He inclined and heard my cry”. These are direct quotes from Psalm 40. I feel like that’s what these last 40+ days have been about. It’s been a forced waiting. And it’s been a good waiting. God has been anything but silent since the world has stopped. He’s been speaking and speaking and speaking. I’ve been overwhelmed with many wonderful messages, both through my church, and through Youth With A Mission. God has been calling me to himself and he’s asked me to wait patiently while he instructs me. I believe God is using this pandemic to prune my normal life away, to limit me, so that I can only abide in him. And he’s let the floodgates loose of such good words to me. I’ve collected 8 YWAM messages and put them all on this page here. 

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Facing the Impossible

Which brings us to Exodus. God spoke to Moses from a burning bush that wasn’t consumed. Curious, Moses approached and heard the Voice. In the presence of the Holy, Moses showed that he had no status here, and no holiness of his own. He took off his sandals. And in his conversation with I AM, Moses explained to God why facing the impossible wasn’t going to work:

Moses objected, “They won’t trust me. They won’t listen to a word I say. They’re going to say, ‘God? Appear to him? Hardly!’”

So God said, “What’s that in your hand?”

“A staff.”

“Throw it on the ground.” He threw it. It became a snake; Moses jumped back—fast!

God said to Moses, “Reach out and grab it by the tail.” He reached out and grabbed it—and he was holding his staff again. “That’s so they will trust that God appeared to you, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 4:1-5 (The Message)

God asked something impossible of Moses. He said, “Go tell pharaoh... “ Moses tried to get out of it. There’s part of me that can’t believe Moses argued with God! Who does Moses think he is to tell God to send someone else? How do you encounter a burning bush, a holy presence, and hear a voice and then have the guts to say, “No.”? Yet, I realize this is me too. I am the same as Moses— too many times I have said no to God because I don’t think I can do it. 

So God asked Moses, “What do you have in your hand?” What a strange question. Obviously, he had a staff— a shepherd’s crook. He used it daily to support himself as he walked the miles. He used it to guide sheep, tapping and nudging them. He used it to whack predators. It was his tool. It was a symbol of his job, his status, and experience. It represented his skills and what he thought he was capable of doing. 

God told Moses to throw it down. What Moses had was not enough. He was going to need more. So he threw it down and the staff became a snake. This was a demonstration of God’s power. It was a kind of promise that God would be with him, and a foreshadowing of God doing it again in pharaoh’s throne room. God first asks Moses to do the impossible. Then he asks him to lay down his experience, his status symbol, his tools, and his skills. The new thing God was asking of Moses would require something more than a shepherd’s staff. It would require someone more than a shepherd. Does this sound familiar? Does this rhyme with your life right now?

It got worse. God asked him to pick up the snake. Gulp! This sounds dangerous. It’s a challenge, and like Moses, we have to ask ourselves if we are willing to do something, bold and daring when God asks. Moses obeyed and the serpent turned back into a staff. It wasn’t a shepherd’s staff any longer. It had become the prophet’s rod. At God’s command, Moses would raise this rod and seas would part. At God’s command, water would flow from a rock. Moses would lead his people out of Egypt with this tool. When he picked up the snake, he picked up a new anointing. He went from the keeper of sheep, to the prophet-leader of an entire people.

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In many ways, this is us. We are going through a shaking. We have been waiting. And God has given us an impossible task. He’s called me to be a missionary in a time when there is no travel. Perhaps he’s called you to figure out a way to move forward in a place where we cannot be face-to-face. I have a sense that God is up to something. He’s called us to himself, he’s given us his word, and he’s awaiting our response. Maybe you’re holding on to your shepherd’s staff wondering if you can throw it down. Maybe you felt like you were barely qualified to do what you were doing the old way. And maybe now it seems impossible to figure out how to do the new thing in a new way. 

I say, throw down your staff. Throw down your experience. Throw down what you think you’re capable of. Witness the miracle and power of God. Pick it up. Pick up that prophet’s rod and rely on him to work the impossible through you!