I hear there’s a new James Bond movie coming out in April. I’m not recommending you go, but consider this, there’s a reason these movies have been around for almost 70 years. They appeal to the hero deep inside all of us. The hero is also very cool. Ironically, the coolest thing about 007 is that he never loses his cool. He always seems to have things under control. He has a characteristic way and only has his drinks prepared one way, “shaken, not stirred.” This “shaken, not stirred,” stuff all seemed backward to me. Come to find out it was! The movie producers had taken the liberty to change it around, thinking it sounded better. The idea for the movie came from Ian Fleming’s 1958 book, Dr. No, where originally it reads, “stirred, not shaken.” Let’s face it, James Bond is cool. He’s a secret agent that can fight his way out of anything. And, even in the midst of nail-biting, potentially world-ending plights, he never loses his cool!

Anyway, I hate to admit, but have to confess, I am 007. At least, in my fantasy world. I have found myself dreaming, even day-dreaming of being a hero caught in a perilous situation with innocent people where bad guys turn up and a villainous plot develops. This all happens virtually in my mind as a movie where I’m the director and the main character...well, not at first. You see, I just happened to be in the crowd and when the bad guys appear, I save the day. No big deal, I’m just cool. Another day in la-la land. Back to reality…

In our real world, we’ve got some scary stuff going on. It didn’t really affect me too much at first because it all seemed blown out of proportion. I kept thinking how much worse can it be than the flu? I was not shaken, after all, well, you know. As time has passed since the Coronavirus was first announced, I have found myself not being as cool as I thought I was. What if, in all this economic upheaval, American business was brought to its knees? Then what if people stopped giving to my ministry? Does anybody hear a siren? I find myself realizing that I can so easily place my security in the good ol’ USA. This can really shake us up and if we aren’t careful, fill us with anxiety and fear. The Bible teaches that someday God will indeed shake things up, but we need not be, for He is our Rock. 

In my One Year Bible reading just today, I read these verses from Psalms 62:5-6:

“Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”

So, in reality, even in hard times, and especially so, it is good that we are stirred to pray. Let’s earnestly seek our Heavenly Father, for each other, America, our leaders, and our world. This is a good place for us to be, “stirred, not shaken.” 

-Keith