Max Lucado - What is Shaking in Your World?
Summary:
In this message, Max Lucado shares that in a shaky and uncertain world, we can find unshakable hope by focusing on God’s promises rather than our problems. Drawing from his personal story of a trembling thumb and the doctor’s reassuring promise, he parallels it with how Scripture’s promises can calm our fears about health, finances, family, or the future. Ultimately, he urges believers to turn to God’s Word for a promise to counter every problem, choosing hope in Christ’s victory over despair.
Greeting and Upcoming Plans
From my home to yours, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you. I’m back from vacation and I’m ready and raring to go, and I’m looking forward to the moments we have to check in with each other over the next few days, weeks, and months. These are difficult days, and folks, we’ve got to stick together. We’ve got to stick together.
My plan over the next few months is to post three or four messages a week—words of encouragement. And here’s something special: beginning on Monday, September 14th, we’re going to journey through the Gospel of John together, and we’re going to base this in part on my brand new book that releases September 14th, called «You Are Never Alone.»
Journey Through John’s Gospel
We’re going to spend the entire fall walking through the miracles of Christ, as well as the other messages of Christ in the Gospel of John. Now, if you want to get that book, you can pre-order it. There’s an order banner right there on the webpage, or you can go to Amazon.com or wherever you like to get books.
If you don’t want to get the book, that’s fine; it’s still going to be a wonderful study. What’s important is that we stay strong and stay focused on Jesus. Again, that study of the Gospel of John, based in part on «You Are Never Alone, » begins September 14th.
The Power of God’s Promises
Today, I want to discuss the power of God’s promises, and I think I’ll need about 10 minutes. 10 minutes; you got them? If not, no worries—we’re recommitted to praying for your needs. So post your prayer needs right there on the prayer page on the website, and we’ll pray for you. We will!
But if you can hang around, I’m going to do my best to put your 10 minutes to good use. You know, I’ve got a lot of quirks. I’ve got a lot of oddities, not the least of which is a shaky left thumb. Look at that; can you tell? It just shakes all the time. I’m not doing that—it does it by itself.
My Shaky Thumb Story
It quivers; it’s as if my thumb lives on a caffeine drip. If I were to secure a glass of soda left-handed, I mean, I would slosh it everywhere. Not left-handed, so it’s seldom a problem, but it’s often a conversation starter. In fact, I actually use it as a way to break the ice when I’m talking to people.
«Hey, can I show you my shaky left thumb? Now you show me some curiosities about you.» We all have them, right? Now, I’ve long since grown accustomed to this localized tremor. At first, it did cause me concern. I wasn’t so calm that this shaking shook me. I thought something had come unwired, especially since my father, God bless him, passed away from ALS.
I thought, «I don’t know.» My imagination began to assume the worst. The situation was especially unnerving because, you know, my thumb goes with me everywhere I go. I can’t get rid of it. When I comb my hair, it’s all wobbly. Guess who can’t keep the putter still? Who can’t make the putter settle down?
Visit to the Neurologist
If I raise my left hand to make a point in the sermon, you might not trust what I’m about to say because all that knockety knuckle there is distracting you. So, I set up an appointment—an appointment with a friend who’s a neurologist. I entered his office a bit anxious, had dry mouth dread.
He reviewed my blood work, and he began to examine me. He had me walk; he had me balance; he had me spin a few plates right up here on my finger—just kidding, he didn’t make me spin the plates. He tapped my knee with a rubber hammer. He continued to ask me some questions—a lot of questions—questions about this, that, and the other.
After what seemed like forever, after an interminably long time, he said, «You know, Max, no need for you to worry.» I said, «You sure?» He said, «I’m sure.» I said, «No treatment?» He said, «Nope, not anything. No wheelchair.» He said, «No, you’re not going to need a wheelchair, at least not from what I can see, and at least not from this.»
The Doctor’s Promise
I said, «Are you positive?» He then did something that I really appreciated. He looked at me square in the eye and he said, «No, Max, I promise, I promise—the tremor in your thumb is nothing for you to worry about.» All right, I hopped down from the examination table, left his office—of course, I thanked him—left his office, and then I walked out, went downstairs, climbed in the car, and began to drive home.
While I stopped at a traffic light, I noticed, you know, my left hand up on the steering wheel. I lifted up that thumb—guess what it was doing? Yep, it was still shaking. It was still shaking! But this time—in fact, for the first time—I had the opportunity to look at that tremor differently.
You see, I could either ponder the problem or I could remember the promise. I could choose anxiety, or I could remember what the doctor said, and I could choose hope. So, I opted for hope. And I remember, as corny as this might sound, I remember talking to my thumb. I told you, I’m weird.
Choosing Hope Over Anxiety
I said, «You’re not getting any more of my attention, you shakety thumb. The doctor made me a promise: you’re harmless, you’re harmless.» And from that moment on, each time the thumb misbehaved, I thought of the promise of the doctor. Now here’s my question: what’s shaking in your world? What’s shaking right now?
Not likely your thumb, but quite possibly your future, maybe your faith, your family, your health, your finances. Friends, it is a shaky world out there, and maybe you could use some unshakable hope. And so, friend, you’re not alone. You’re not alone.
I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but we live in a day of despair. The suicide rate in America has increased 24% since 1999, and that was pre-pandemic—24%! If a disease saw such a spike, we would deem it an epidemic, would we not?
A World in Despair
So how do we explain the increase? I mean, you think about it—we’ve never been more educated. We’ve got tools of technology at our disposal that our parents could only dream about. I mean, they can’t even imagine; they could not have even imagined what we have.
We’re saturated with entertainment and recreation, and yet, for some reason, more people are orchestrating their own departures than ever before. How could this be? There are many answers to that question. It’s a complex issue. I don’t want to simplify it, but among the answers must be this: people are dying for a lack of hope.
As our society has become increasingly secularistic, secularism sucks the hope out of society. Many people believe that life is nothing more than a few brief decades between a crib and a tomb, and right in between is this world. And folks, let’s face it: sometimes this world ain’t so good, ain’t so good.
God’s Unshakable Promises
But God invites you to have a different approach. God’s people have a different advantage. We hopefully filter our lives through the promises of God. And when the world begins to shake, we can remember the promise. We might even be heard talking to ourselves, thinking and saying, «But God said, but God said.»
And we can be seen flipping through God’s book, flipping through His scripture, saying, «Now God said something about this. God said something about this.» And this Bible becomes our go-to book to help us stay strong in shaky times. Could I urge you—could I beg you—to turn to God’s Word?
You see, for every problem, God has given us a promise. Make it your aim to get so acquainted with these promises that you can write yourself a prescription promise whenever you feel these emotions that we all feel.
Prescription Promises from Scripture
«I’m feeling fearful today; time for me to open up a bottle of Judges 6:12, » the scripture that says, «The Lord is with you.» «Okay, I’m going to lay claim to that promise.» «The world feels out of control today. Boy, I need to open up my Bible and meditate on the great promise of Romans 8:28, that all things work together for good.»
«All right, I just see nothing but dark clouds on the horizon? Wait a second; rather than give in to the despair, I’m gonna turn to God’s Word. What was it Jesus said? Oh yeah, John 16:33: 'In this world you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world.'»
See how it works? My dear friend, after 40 years of ministry, I’ve discovered that nothing, nothing lifts the weary soul like the promises of God. God’s book contains a promise for every problem that you face.
Building Life on God’s Word
Now, the devil wants you to keep this book closed and to live based on just the opinions of others or the hunches of your relatives or friends. Folks, we don’t need any more opinions or hunches, right? We need God’s Word. We desperately, desperately need God’s promises.
Oh, my friend, could you do so? Could you build your life on the promises of God? He is with you; He loves you; and He’s going to get all of us through these very, very difficult days. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re tired and worn out—we all are to a degree.
But we can choose the circumstances of life or the promises of God. Upon which are you building your life?