Facebook has a new feature that I kind of enjoy. When I sign on for the first time most days, Facebook displays a past post for me to remember. Most often on my feed, it is a picture of my daughter from her younger years. Those pictures provide warm memories but also a chilling reminder of how much things have changed over the years. Change is inevitable.
Indeed many things have changed over the course of my life. In fact, things have changed more in the last 10 years than the first 42 years of my life combined. The cost of living has risen while cultural morality has declined. We now call entertainment things that used to shame us. And we pay big bucks for that entertainment. My daughter will come to adulthood in a totally different world from the one which greeted my adulthood.
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Many are unsettled by both the abundance and uncertainty of the change that is taking place around us. Many have exchanged hope, peace, and confidence for fear, stress, and disillusionment. The good news is that while the world may change around us, our God has not changed, nor will He.
In Malachi 3:6, God declares, “I, the Lord, do not change.” When things are changing uncontrollably around us, we can turn to the ONE who never changes. Theologically, we call this attribute of God His Immutability. God’s unchanging nature is not just an intellectual reality, but a relevant truth on which we can hang our faith. Consider these ways our God does not change.
Ways God Does not Change
1. God’s LIFE does not change. (Psalm 90:1-2)
There never was a time when God was not, nor will there ever be time when God is not. God is now as He has always been and He will always be as He is now. God’s power does not wax and wane. He never has an “off” day. God does not forget anything and He has nothing to learn. His knowledge, power, existence, and presence are eternal.
Because God’s life doesn’t change, He always will be present through the changing seasons of your life. Some of the changes in your life may be the unexpected loss of things you hold dear. However, you will never lose God. He will always be there. (Psalm 46:1-3)
[Tweet “There never was a time when God was not, nor will there ever be time when God is not.”]
2. God’s CHARACTER does not change. (Exodus 3:14)
When God revealed His identity to Moses, He called Himself “I am who I am.” In Hebrew that is actually 1 word which is derived from the “be” verb. In other words, God told Moses, I am who I have always been, and who I will always be. God’s name represented His character and by naming Himself with the “to be” verb, He promised His unchanging character.
Since God’s character does not change, He does not have mood swings. We know what to expect from God. God’s tastes and preferences do not change like the changing whims of our culture. We can look to God today as we have always looked to Him. He is the ultimate constant in a world of flux.
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3. God’s TRUTH does not change. (Psalm 119:89, 152)
When God established His Word, it has remained established. What He says is true is still true and what He says is right is still right. The promises God made that have yet come to fulfillment, will still come to fulfillment. God’s Word is timeless, absolute, and non-negotiable.
Since God’s Word is His unchanging truth, we know that we walk in truth when we obey the Bible. Many have made the grave mistake of letting culture talk them out of trust in the Bible. With God’s Word, we build a solid foundation that withstands the storms of change. (Matthew 7:24-25)
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4. God’s PURPOSES do not change. (James 1:17)
God will accomplish what He has set out to accomplish. The changes that we experience around us do not frustrate, flummox, or negate the plan of God. With Him there is no variation, no shadows, no turning. Because God’s purposes do not change and He will accomplish them, I can trust His plan for my life.
God is never surprised or caught off guard by what happens to me or around me. God never get’s bad (or good, for that matter) news. He sees, He knows, and His plan marches on. We can trust Him.
[Tweet “The changes that we experience around us do not frustrate, flummox, or negate the plan of God. “]
We indeed live in uncertain times rife with constant change. Much of that change is unsettling and frightening. Trust God, His Word, and His purposes. Hang in there, friend. God who began a good work is and will bring it to completion.