A week ago, I was preparing to minister to a young man who was in very dire straits. As I prayed and asked the Lord for something that would encourage him, my Bible opened to Psalm 107. As I began to read, it dawned on me that the Lord was giving me a message for this young man and for everyone who is in trouble. That message is that we serve a God who will change our situation.
In Malachi 3, the prophet is speaking for God. Israel had gotten themselves in a bad place. God was about to go silent for 400 years. But before that happened, the Lord wanted to assure them of this one thing. That is that He never changes. Malachi 3:6 says, “For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” Maybe you are feeling that your mistake or sin has backed you into a corner. That was Israel’s problem.
They had strayed away from the Lord and from His laws. The Lord could have cut them off forever from His blessing, but He did not do that. He was going to go silent, but He was also leaving them with this promise; I will not abandon you. I will not change my mind about you.
Because the Lord is a constant that we can depend on, He is also able to change any situation we are in. So, the first thing that we must understand is that He does not change, and His word is still true no matter what has happened. He will never abandon His children even if they make big mistakes. When we understand that, it releases us to trust Him to change whatever is standing in our way.
In Psalms 107, David starts this Psalm by telling us to give thanks to the Lord because He is good and His lovingkindness is everlasting. Knowing this is a foundational truth where we need to start. He loves us and that will never change. He is good and that will never change. Then in verse two, David tells us, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.” We need to say this. Speaking our faith does not increase faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of Christ. (Romans 10:17) When we begin to speak, we begin to change our minds. Our mind is what needs changing. When we speak of God’s lovingkindness, our minds change about who God is. So, we need to begin to speak of His lovingkindness.
The next thing that David does in this Psalm is he begins to list all that the Lord has done. How He has changed so many situations for His people. As I was meditating on this Psalm last week, I began to exercise my mind by remembering all situations that the Lord changed in the Bible. You see, remembering those things is an important thing that we need to do. David took 28 verses to list what the Lord had done. How He had made changes in what looked like an unchangeable situation.
Then, we come to verses 33-38. In these verses, David moves from the past into the present. Twice in these verses he uses the word change. Look at what David wrote, “’He changes rivers into a wilderness and springs of water into a thirsty ground; A fruitful land into a salt waste, Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.” The Lord changes whatever needs changing. Sometimes we need rivers in a wilderness and springs on thirsty ground. At other times, we need the fruitful ground turned into a wasteland for the wicked. Whatever needs to change, the Lord will change it. In the remaining verses, David continues to show us the changes that the Lord will make.
There is one thing that you should understand and that is the Lord makes good changes for His people, but He can make changes also for the wicked. Have you ever looked at the world around you and thought, it looks like evil is winning? Do not let despair and hopelessness overtake you. God can change that. There are so many situations in which it appears the wicked are winning. It is true that the world will continue to become more evil as the days grow shorter. But we must continue to believe that God has all this under His control. He is Lord, not only of our lives but also, He will see His plan fulfilled in the earth. He can change the hearts of men. After all, He did that miracle in all of us who believe. He still saves the vilest of sinners.
As I prepared to minister to this young man, I used these three things to encourage myself first and then to encourage him. The first is to praise God for who He is, for His lovingkindness and because He is good. Second speak to or say. Speak out of your mouth the loving, kindness and goodness of God. Third, remember all He has done from the stories of the scripture and in your own lives and the lives of others. By the time I met with this young man, I had a message that visibly changed his countenance and mind. It is my prayer that this message changes your hearts and that you will see the changes that need to be made in your life. That the obstacles that stand in your way will become the road to your success in God.