Stirred, not Shaken
Have you notice that there seems to be two ways God gets our attention? Personally I prefer one over the other.
Sometimes in the hardness of our heart and the busyness of our lives we refuse to listen to the still small voice of God. He's speaking. He speaks everyday. I wonder, do you hear Him? Sometimes we don't hear Him because we're not paying attention. Sometimes its simply because we're rebellious. Either way, God is at work and He wants our devotion and attention.
In moments like these there is little for God to do, but shake things up. Like a child set in time out because He refuses to pay attention God shakes up our lives with tragedy, change and circumstances so far out of our control we have no where else to turn but to Him. I'm not suggesting that God makes someone sick, causes the car wreck or takes away your job. But he will allow you to make choices that will lead to the inevitable bad outcome that will draw you back to Him. You find yourself in the midst of an experience that leaves you shaken to your core, turning to Jesus, your only hope.
That's one way to hear from God, but their is another.
This verse says that God stirred the hearts of the people. It actually uses that phrase several times throughout the passage. A heart stirred by God is easy to identify. It's characterized by simple obedience and a willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty to fulfill God's Word. It's characterized by generosity toward the things of God. This is the passage where the Children of Israel give so much of their valuables toward the building of the Tabernacle that Moses has to go to them and tell them to STOP GIVING! I don't know which is more remarkable, that the people gave so generously or that a preacher willingly told people they had given enough!
A heart stirred up for the things of God doesn't happen by accident. It happens because you willingly place yourself under the authority of God. You take time to hear His voice through His Word and His people. You willingly do whatever He asks - you Listen, you give, you go - until God says stop.
Today, may your heart be stirred by God and you fulfill His dreams for you in this place.
Created over 1 year ago
