Change

Change. It is a fact.  Anything that lives changes.  The climate changes, seasons change, and computers change.  Audrey and I just changed from an Android phone to an iPhone. That was a challenging change.  We all change.  We get older and must change some things.   Change is inevitable and how we handle change will determine our outcome. 

Years ago, I was ministering in Chile and one night I was awakened by an earthquake.  That

was something this Michigan man was not used to!   I was looking for something that was

not moving, someplace secure. 

I often think of the scripture in Malachi 3:6 where God assures Israel by telling them, “For I, the Lord, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.”  Currently Israel is about to see the judgment of God on wickedness.   The theme of the book of Malachi is God’s favor even when Israel is shaking from His judgment of their sin.  In this verse, God is assuring Israel that the sons of Jacob will not be consumed.

Have you ever felt that the things that are changing will consume you?  That nothing will be left after the shaking and changing is done?  When we go through change, we must grab hold of the fact that God never changes.  His love for you never changes.  He is always the same God with a word that never changes. 

Israel was going through a change that came because of their sin.  Not all changes happen because we have done something wrong.   Many changes happen naturally.  We get older,  we mature in our thinking and change our minds about what is essential.  We learn and change.  God leads us on to other areas in our lives.  There are many reasons why change comes but the essential thing is that we hold fast to the God that doesn’t change. 

The enemy of our souls tries to use the shaking times of change to get a foothold in our lives.  We cannot allow that to happen.  We cannot allow the things of our past and the security of those things to move us from our faith.  

The Psalmist David wrote this, “Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, and Your years will not come to an end.” (Psalm 102:25–27 (NASB95) David knew that everything that was created would change.  He also knew that God would never change, that He would endure, and He would remain the same.  In that fact, David faced the changes that he was experiencing in his life and in his kingdom.  David’s faith was in an immutable God that never changes.

How do we apply this to our lives?  First, focus your thinking on a God that never changes.  When changes come, they have a way of grabbing our focus. We begin to want to go back to the way they were instead of moving forward with God.  Going back may seem safe but it’s not.  We must keep moving forward in God’s time.   Next, fill your thinking with God’s Word.  God’s Word is a sure foundation.  It is guaranteed to not fail.  Meditate on verses such as Numbers 23:19, Hebrews 13:8 and James 1:17, just to name a few.  Also, commit to friendships that will help you go through and encourage you to press on.  I thank God for friends that will not let me stay comfortable.