As the children of Israel approached Mount Sinai after passing through the Red Sea, Moses had some instructions to help them prepare for the sacred events that were about to take place. He told them to sanctify themselves, to wash their clothes, and to avoid setting foot on the mountain "Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to death" (Exodus 19:12-13). On the third day, as the people stood near the mountain, they saw that it was covered with smoke, "and the whole mount quaked greatly" (Exodus 19:18). As Moses ascended to receive God's law, all the people knew that this was a sacred place.
Many years later, some of the descendants of these Israelites returned to Jerusalem from captivity in Babylon. As they settled, the prophet Haggai encouraged them to rebuild the temple. He prophesied:
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land;
And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts.
Haggai 2:6-7
As Paul emphasized in his epistle to the Hebrews, the event prophesied by Haggai is far more expansive than what the Israelites experienced at Sinai:
When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: "Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also."
This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.
Hebrews 12:26-27, New Living Translation
What must we do to prepare for the increasing turbulence which will ultimately engulf "all nations?" We need to become "unshakable." We need to build on a solid foundation, so that we can maintain our balance through the commotion.
Nephi said that we need to move forward along the strait and narrow path with "unshaken faith" in Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 31:19). His brother Jacob became grounded by the many revelations he received from God. "Wherefore," he declared, "I could not be shaken" (Jacob 7:5; see also Jacob 4:6). And Jacob's son Enos, after receiving two answers to heartfelt prayers, testified, "My faith began to be unshaken in the Lord" (Enos 1:11).
Moroni encourages us to "ask with a firmness unshaken, that ye will yield to no temptation, but that ye will serve the true and living God" (Mormon 9:28). As we reach out to God with determination and without distraction, He helps us to become more spiritually stable and to build our foundation on "the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God" (Helaman 5:12).
Today, I will strengthen my faith and my focus on God, so that I can be prepared for the turbulence which will inevitably come. I will remember the importance of spiritual stability, and I will strive to develop "unshaken faith" in God, so that He can help me endure every trial and withstand every storm.
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