Stability in Our Walk With God; Be Not Shaken

Acts 2: 25 David said about him: "'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

There is an old Christian expression that says if God is your co-pilot, you need to switch seats. The meaning of course being that it is God that needs to be in control, piloting your life. Too often we get caught up in our own strength and forget from whom all blessings flow. Instead we can lapse into having God as a co-pilot, relying on Him when the ride gets turbulent. It is when we are in charge however that the problems arise, requiring God's more immediate presence and control in our lives.

Acts 2:25 is a portion of the speech given by Peter on the Day of Pentecost. It was a very successful speech as the Bible tells us about three thousand were saved that day as the Holy Spirit worked through Peter. Working backwards through the verse, we see that the result is "I will not be shaken." The dictionary has several definitions for shaken; some of which are:

To tremble with emotion, cold, etc.

To become dislodged and fall

To totter; become unsteady

We can find ourselves in our walk with God trembling with emotion or some reaction to the elements around us. Take for example when Jesus was walking on water and bid Peter to come to Him. When Peter focused on Jesus he was able to do what was impossible for man; to walk on water as well. Then the Bible tells us he began to be shaken by his surroundings:

But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" Matthew 14: 30

When Peter saw the wind, he became afraid. He became shaken and then doubted the very miracle he was a part of. We also can become dislodged and fall in our walk with God. The Old Testament tells us of the first King of Israel, Saul. God instructed Saul to attack the Amalekites and leave nothing alive, including sheep and cattle. Instead, Saul allowed his men to keep the best of the sheep and cattle as plunder. When confronted by the Prophet Samuel, King Saul tried to defend his actions by using God; saying they saved the best of the animals to offer as sacrifices and burnt offerings to God. But God knows the heart and this was the reply of the Prophet Samuel:

But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
       as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice,
       and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king." 1Samuel 15:23-24

Saul fell in his walk with God and became dislodged as king. His position with God was ruined because he became shaken and thought that he knew better than God. God delights in our obedience, not what we think God wants. Too often we too are guilty of the sin of Saul. We put ourselves and our greed ahead of God and then try and use religiosity as a justification for our actions. We try to ascribe religious reasons to our worldly actions. We allow ourselves to become shaken too easily. Lastly, we can also be shaken by tottering or becoming unsteady in our walk with God. James warns us of this:

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1: 5-8

Our problem is twofold. First, we often do not even ask. We do not seek God for the wisdom we need every day. This goes back to the co-pilot analogy. We work under our own wisdom until we need to cry out to God to fix the mess we got ourselves into. God is saying in the James passage, to ask for that wisdom always. If any of you lack wisdom? We all lack the wisdom of God! The secondary issue is our lack of faith in the answer when we do ask. This goes back to the story of Peter walking on water. Peter was already walking on the water when he allowed his surroundings to distract him from the wisdom of God. He stepped out in faith and was rewarded. Then he doubted. James casts the doubter as someone tossed about by the wind, like the very waves of the sea that so frightened Peter that day. What kind of man is the doubter? Unstable in all he does. Shaken.

How can we avoid be shaken in our daily walk with God? Acts 2:25 tells us that we need to have God at our right hand. When God is at your right hand He is always at the ready. He is always involved. He is your pilot, not your co-pilot. If He is at your right hand, He is guiding you in everything you do. As believers we all have God in us, through the Holy Spirit. Yet do we go through our lives in that power? Do we go through our lives with God at our right hand? Or is he relegated to the prayer closet? Do we only call on Him when our backs are against the wall? That is not the relationship God desires with us. He is an involved God.

How does He get to be at our right hand? How do we get to the point that God is the pilot and not the co-pilot? According to acts 2:25 it is by "seeing the Lord always before me." Perhaps this will be clearer when we realize that on the Day of Pentecost, Peter was actually quoting the Old Testament in this verse. It is from Psalm 16 but it is written slightly different in that Psalm:

I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

The Psalm is clearer. It is by setting the Lord always before me; that he will be at my right hand and thus, I will not be shaken. What does that mean? If means that God comes first in everything. The Lord is ALWAYS before ME. It means when I wake up, God is first. It means when I am at work, God is first. When I am at home, at church, or at play, God is first. It means He is the pilot and I allow Him to guide my walk. Then when the temptations come against you, it is God at your right hand ready to respond! When you want to look at your circumstances it is God who keeps you focused so that the wind and waves of life will not cause you to be shaken. When you want to use the excuses of man dressed up as religion it will be God at your right hand to bring you back to thus sayeth the Lord; and you will not be shaken. When you are feeling unsteady, unsure, or even as if we might fall; it will be God there at our right hand; not allowing us to be shaken.

What is God speaking to your heart today? Where is God in your life today? Is he the pilot, guiding you through life or have you relegated him to the co-pilot's seat? Do you find yourself shaken at times? Unsure of what to do or how to do it? Do you find yourself unsteady, possibly relying more on what you see then what you believe? More on what your circumstances are then who your redeemer is? God is saying to you today to put Him first. Put Him first in your decisions, in your relationships, in your finances. Put Him first so that He will ever be before you, at your right hand. Then you can be assured that no matter what life throw at you; you will not be shaken!

Anthony Wade April 19, 2008