By Barbara Cavaness (PhD '02, MDiv '85)
Alumni/ae Council Member 

One late October day, as I was about to embark on a long journey touching three continents, the newspaper in my hand troubled me: "Shock-tober" with the market plunging nearly 40 per cent; lost jobs; "the scariest election of all time"; falling sales; "serious recession"; uncertainties; "voters worried."

Though not prone to prophetic analysis of the daily news myself, I do believe sincere followers of Christ should be engaged with the world around them. I have seen the fears and anxieties of Americans the past months reflected in the headlines of India, Singapore, and other countries. Many citizens of the world are watching events in the U.S. and reacting.

The scripture that keeps coming to me from the writer to the Hebrews reminds us that God is often behind all the "shaking": "Once more I will shake ... The words 'once more' indicate the removing of what can be shaken--that is, created things--so that what cannot be shaken may remain" (Heb. 12:26-27).

God always wants to draw people to himself--to seek him more (Mt. 6:33), to trust him more, to make Kingdom priorities our priorities. Perhaps all the shaking reflected in this particular day's headlines has been allowed by God to make people turn to him. Removing God-substitutes, "so that what cannot be shaken may remain."

Whatever these next months and years bring, God expects you and me to be thankful and worship him with reverence and awe (see Heb. 12:28), as we share the message of Jesus Christ. "On Christ, the Solid Rock, we stand!" The world desperately needs this assurance and hope. We need revival. May we appropriate his peace to our hearts today, wherever we may be going! And let's share the Good News.