SHAKING FOUNDATIONS

Though I have not personally experienced an earthquake, I have talked to people who have, and they say it is one of the most disconcerting experiences because the very thing you think is most stable—the ground under your feet—is giving way. Everything is shaking. Everything is uncertain.

Have you ever felt that way—like the world is spinning out of control, with the wicked winning, and you do not know exactly what to do next?

Over the next few days, we will look at what God says about government. After all, God is the one who established government (Romans 13:1, Proverbs 21:1, John 19:1-12). However, this is not the focus of our study. A nation is not just its government. For the believer, our earthly nation is not our highest allegiance. So what is the great responsibility we have, as Christians, in today's world? What is our Christian responsibility to our nation? Join us for the next few days as we examine God's instructions to us.

Several years ago, we were building our house in West Virginia during a season when we saw an unbelievable amount of rain. I remember the builder said, “Scott, we are having a difficult time just getting your footers poured and getting the foundation where it needs to be. We’ve been pumping water out so we can try to pour the concrete.” “Let’s just slow down,” I said. “Let the water subside and the weather pass.” I knew I wanted a solid foundation.

Foundations are very important. Look at a house that has been built on a poor foundation. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the house looks on the outside if the foundation is crumbling. Over time, cracks appear. It is more than just settling; it is a subtle shift that compromises the integrity of the entire structure.

We are seeing this in our world today—a shifting in families, churches, and lives. It seems, at times, that the foundations of our society: godliness, decency, and family, are being destroyed. Occasionally, God’s people can feel absolutely overwhelmed to a point of desperation, not only by what we see, but also by what we hear. We look at current events and get the sense that our nation is coming apart at the seams. The foundations are certainly shaking.

In Psalm 11, we find a nation in turmoil. David had been anointed as the next king, but Saul, the current king of Israel, was trying desperately to kill him. All of his friends said, “David, get out of there. Run for your life. It’s the only hope you have.”

In that setting, God was teaching David to wait on the Lord and to live by faith. That is the context of one of the greatest psalms in all of Scripture. It is the psalm of both a nation and a man in turmoil, wondering what can be done.

Listen to the Holy Spirit-inspired words, beginning with the first three verses:“In the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

This question leads us back to the God of all answers. Immediately after the question posed in verse 3, we read these words in verse 4:“The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.”

Instead of looking down in frustration and discouragement, we are told to look up in faith. Instead of concentrating on what we think is going on, we are instructed to look at the spiritual reality:“The Lord is in his holy temple.”

I want to remind you that God is seated on the throne of the universe, and that the foundations in Heaven are not shaking at all.

The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:19,“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” There may be a great deal that we do not know about the future, but God knows those who belong to Him. He rules in Heaven and holds His children on earth in the palm of His hand (John 10:28-29).

The answer to the question asked in Psalm 11, verse 3 is actually this: the foundation is not being destroyed. The real question is, “If our foundation is in God, why are we trembling?” If you ever begin to wonder, as a child of God, what to do in the midst of unrighteousness, this psalm gives you direction.