An Unchanging God in a Changing World

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly my children change. The simplest mannerisms, speech, and concerns that they have can change as rapidly as overnight. My daughter's mind changes with the blink of an eye, so it's nothing new to see her in four different outfits during the day, depending on her moods.

Even as adults we make changes rather quickly. We change our minds, change our likes and dislikes with a disturbing amount of ease. Now, I'm all for changing things around for more efficiency or effectiveness, but sometimes I believe we get into changing things just so we can feel like we are actively doing something. We are being productive in a non-productive way, but we are doing something, anything, to feel purposeful, useful. Or we make changes to create hope where we are frustrated with our lives.

As we begin a new year, we often think about ways to make changes in our lives. The list is endless in the ways that we resolve to “change” our lives in the New Year. Sometimes we have no choice about the changes that happen in our lives: the loss of a job, our health fading, or a death of a loved one. Or maybe it's a good change that comes into our lives: a job promotion, a new house, a wedding or birth of a child. Whatever change comes to us, it disrupts whatever schedule of our lives that we are living. Even the best of change can create stress and chaos in our minds and hearts.

Isn't it wonderful to know that our God never changes? He is the one constant in our ever-changing lives. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We don't have to look any further than Jesus Christ in order to discover where our hope lies. He is our hope! He is the one who sustains us, who helps us. John 15:7-11 speaks to us very clearly:

7 “ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8 This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

  9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

We have to remain in Jesus. What does that mean? Read His word. Spend time with Him in prayer, praising Him, worshiping Him. We're supposed to look like His disciples – we are to act like Him, sound like Him, behave like Him. How do we do that? It all goes back to Him. He gives us the ability to carry out what He commands. And if we obey His commands, we will remain in His love and receive His joy and our joy will be complete. Instead of worry and guilt, we will have joy. In the chaos we can have peace. In the fear and instability, we can rest in Him.

No matter what changes you look forward to or are surprised with in 2009, you can be assured that remaining in God's Word will give you peace, strength, wisdom and hope. He promises us that if we remain in Him, we can ask for whatever we wish and it will be given to us. What a wonderful promise! What a wonderful God who loves us! Change comes and change goes, but our God is mercifully, lovingly constant.