Most of us know there’s a pattern to life, even if we don’t talk about it much. You’re either heading into a storm, in the middle of one, or just coming out. That cycle never really ends. The storms look different—a doctor’s report, a financial crisis, a broken relationship, or a headline that shakes what you thought was steady—but the rhythm stays the same. Life shakes.
The question is not whether the shaking will come. The question is what you are standing on when it does.
The Promise of Shaking
Hebrews chapter 12 shares a powerful promise from God—not a promise of comfort, but of disruption. The writer says God declared, “Yet once more, I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” The passage explains that this happens so what can be shaken is removed, and what cannot be shaken will remain.
Take a moment to read that again. The shaking isn’t random. It has a purpose. God cares about the chaos in your life. He is working to remove what is temporary so that what is eternal can stand out clearly.
The first readers of Hebrews understood this message in a way many of us might not. They paid a real price for following Jesus. Arrest, persecution, and betrayal by neighbors or family were part of their lives—the cost of faith was real for them. They knew what it felt like when life was unstable. Still, the writer doesn’t promise them escape from the shaking. Instead, he offers a new way to see it.
Trees, Roots, and the Wind
Think about what happens to a tree in a strong storm. Scientists say that when a tree is pushed and stressed by strong winds, its roots actually grow deeper. A tree that has never faced a storm has shallow roots, so a really strong wind can pull it out of the ground. But a tree that has survived storms before will bend. It might look like it’s about to break, but it holds on because the storms made its roots grow deeper than calm weather ever could.
Faith grows in a similar way. The times when we grow most spiritually are rarely the easy ones. They happen when everything you relied on besides God is taken away, and you find out if your roots are deep enough. Shaking isn’t the enemy of faith. Often, it’s the tool God uses to make it stronger.
That’s why the writer of Hebrews doesn’t say, “Don’t be surprised when life gets hard.” Instead, he’s more direct: expect it. Know it’s coming. When you live with that understanding, the storm can’t undo you because you’re ready for it.
The Danger of Temporary Foundations
This is where the message becomes personal. If we’re honest, most of us have built parts of our lives on things that can be shaken. Psalm 20 compares people who trust in chariots and horses—symbols of power and security back then—with those who trust in the name of the Lord. Today, our “chariots” look different, but the temptation is still there.
Think about it this way: if you lost it, would you be lost? Fill in the blank honestly. If the answer is anything other than Jesus, you have identified your foundation.
Retirement accounts can vanish overnight. Health can change without warning. Careers can fall apart. Relationships can break. Political leaders come and go. Great empires that once seemed permanent are now just ruins for tourists. Rome is rubble. Babylon is dust. Nothing people build or maintain lasts forever. As Hebrews 12 says, everything created can be removed.
But there is one thing with no beginning or end. It has never needed an emergency meeting, never been surprised, and never been shaken. God’s kingdom didn’t start and it won’t end. If you build your life on that foundation, you’re building on the only thing that will still stand when everything else is gone.
Peter, the Storm, and the Reach
When Peter got out of the boat and walked toward Jesus on the water, it was remarkable. But as soon as he looked away from Jesus and focused on the wind and waves, he started to sink. What’s easy to miss is that Jesus didn’t move. The storm didn’t push him away. He was in the same place when Peter started to sink as when Peter first stepped out. The only thing that changed was where Peter was looking.
When life shakes you, it’s natural to focus on the trouble. You might stare at the diagnosis, the bank statement, the broken relationship, or the scary headline. The more you focus on these things, the bigger they seem. But Jesus is still in the same place. He hasn’t moved or panicked. Just like he reached out and caught Peter before he sank, he reaches out to you now.
What Remains
Hebrews 12:28 ends with a call to gratitude: “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful.” We’re not thankful because life is easy or because the storms are over. We’re thankful because, no matter what gets shaken in this life, the kingdom we belong to cannot be moved.
Your foundation doesn’t have to be your health, your finances, your family, your political party, or your own strength. There is a foundation that has lasted longer than any empire, survived every storm, and supported everyone who has trusted it fully.
That foundation is Jesus. He cannot be shaken.
Thoughts from Pastor Toney 