by Calven Celliers
Change is inevitable! Inevitable meaning unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped (try as we might), and it happens whether you like it or not. As any parent knows, you quickly learn the importance of establishing some structure in your children’s lives. Children thrive on routine. And when things change they are quick to let you know that they don’t like it. If we’re completely honest with ourselves, we as adults don’t like change either. We like things to be familiar and predictable. We like to know what to expect when we wake up each morning. But realistically life is constantly changing. When such changes enter our life, it’s overwhelming, confusing, even terrifying. As we’ve all learnt over the past few months, we can go to bed at night to one reality and wake up to a completely different life. If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a hundred times since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic: Life will never be the same again. I don’t know about you, but I find the very thought quite unsettling as I long for the days of old. Change can make us feel lost and abandoned, like we’ve been tossed overboard in the midst of a storm. We’re left reeling, trying to grab ahold of anything we can find that’s strong and stable.
I was recently reading a secular article in which the author was chatting about the unpredictability of the world we currently find ourselves in, and he made the following statement “Change is the only constant in this life” and whilst I get exactly what the guy was saying, I found myself becoming increasingly grateful at the awesome truth that we serve an unchanging God in an ever changing world.
He is our constant in this life and the next. While I might not know what tomorrow holds, praise Jesus I know who holds tomorrow. As we all encounter major changes, not only in our individual lives, but in the world around us, may our hope always be in Him.
The Bible tells us that God never changes.
“6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6RSV)
The influences that cause change in your life have no effect on God. He will never be stronger or weaker. His knowledge and wisdom will not increase or diminish. God does not compromise or change His values. God does not have mood swings. There is no inconsistency in God. Life and its uncertainties may shake you, but God-the Rock of Ages-does not move. If you cling to Him, His strength will sustain you.
God’s unchanging purpose gives you eternal significance. Psalm 33:11 states, “11 …the Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken.” (Psalm 33:11NLT)
God’s plan is unchangeable. It existed at the beginning of creation and remains the same today. And you are part of His plan! The apostle Paul sates this quite clearly when he wrote to the Church at Ephesus saying, “10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10NLT)
God’s unchangeable ways assure you of unwavering guidance. King David said in Psalm 18, “30 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.” (Psalm 18:30NLT)
God’s principles for life never change. His guidelines, given in Scripture, produce fruitful lives when you follow them.
And because God never changes, His Word never changes. All that He has said about Himself remains true forever. God’s unchanging Word equips you with timeless truth. Isaiah declared, “The grass withers, and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:8). God’s words and commands are timeless.
And because His Word never changes, His promises for us remain true. God’s unchanging commitment guarantees everlasting security. If you have trusted in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can be assured of eternal life. God is eternally committed to your redemption, your spiritual growth, and your eternal destiny. God’s commitment to you is as strong as He is eternally constant. The storms of life are continually changing, but God remains the same. He is consistent and reliable. He is your anchor. You can count on God because He never changes. When everything in life seems flipped upside down, we can say with the psalmist,
“1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”
(Psalm 46: 1& 2NIV)
Things will continue to change — in the world around us and in our lives. Some of those changes will feel like a tiny ripple, and others feel like a ten-foot wave. But no matter what changes we face, we need not fear. We need not hide. We need not despair. Our rock and anchor is our unchanging God, whose character and promises remain fixed forever.
Remember, we don’t’ get to choose when change will come. We do, however, get to choose what we believe when it does.
Yours,
Calven
So true praise our Lord God for always being there for us. Thank you Calven be blessed always
Ravi Zechariah in one of his talks discusses “absolutes” like “right” and “wrong”.
The world largely no longer believes in absolutes. In the crucific we find four unchanging absolutes: evil, justice, love, forgiveness.