All Shook Up Series

The Eternal Side of Elvis

All Shook Up

"A well I bless my soul

What's wrong with me?

I'm itching like a man on a fuzzy tree

My friends say I'm actin wild as a bug

I'm in love

I'm all shook up

Mm mm oh, oh, yeah, yeah!"

I. Backdrop:

This was Presley's second-biggest hit in the US (after "Don't Be Cruel"/"Hound Dog"), spending 8 weeks atop "Billboard"'s Top 100 Singles chart and a ninth week at #1 on the Jukebox chart. They year was 1957.

Songwriter Otis Blackwell wrote this on a dare. One of the owners of Shalimar Music (Blackwell's publishing company) wandered into Blackwell's office as he was struggling to create a follow-up to "Don't Be Cruel." As Al Stanton approached Blackwell, Stanton was shaking a bottle of Pepsi. Stanton said to Blackwell, "I've got an idea. Why don't you write a song called 'All Shook Up'?" According to Blackwell, the song was finished in a couple of days.

II. Backstage:

I think that may be a great definition of genuine Revival! The church today is often complacent and lukewarm - it needs to be all shook up!

"15 'I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. 16 'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17 'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, 18 I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 19 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent." Revelation 3:15-19

When the fire starts to die down it needs to be stoked. I am convinced, that can only be done by the power, of the Holy Spirit. But that does not mean we have no part in revival, while only God can initiate real revival, we can follow hard after it, once He does.

"Before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man...We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit...The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him...Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. Acute desire must be present or there will be no manifestation of Christ to His people. He waits to be wanted."

Elvis used to stay up all night singing gospel songs. He once said, "We do two shows a night for five weeks. A lotta times we'll go upstairs and sing until daylight - gospel songs. We grew up with it...it more or less puts your mind at ease. It does mine."

Oh for a shook up church that spends nights again in prayer, seeking God's face and blessings. Where does it all begin? It begins with me. English evangelist Gipsy Smith, said that revival begins with drawing a circle on the floor, stepping inside it, and praying, "God, change everything in this circle that isn't pleasing to you."

May God get us all shook up over the Savior and bring us back to that first love!

III. Backup:

Gen.32:26-28/2 Chron.31:21/Psa.42:1; 63:1-2,8/Isa.26:9; 64:/Mt6:33/Lu.18:5-7/Heb.11:6

Johnny Palmer

StrugglingThruScriptures.ning.com

spurgeonwannabe@yahoo.com