The Only Constant in a World of Change

 

Rock near Newgale in Pembrokeshire
Steadfast and immovable like God.

 There is nothing more certain in this life than change.  For some of us (myself included), it can be very unsettling.
     In the first few years of our marriage, it seemed that all we did was move.  We lived in Columbus, Ohio while my husband was in the College of Optometry.  Following the completion of my husband's degree, we moved back to his hometown to set up his practice.  What a change for us!  We left all of the friends we had grown so close to in Columbus and had to start over again in finding a church home as well as a home for us to live in.
     Then, five years later, my husband felt a desire to move to Florida so he would be able to pursue his hobby of scuba diving as well as escape the icy northern weather.  At this point, I told him that this would be our last move as I was not enjoying the constant packing and unpacking of moving.  In addition, I disliked the personal upheaval of leaving family and friends.
     We moved to Florida in 1979 and have remained in the same community here since that time.  However, we have moved twice since living here from one home to another.  At least we remained in the same town.
     Now I have given you all this as a background to today's scripture.  Look at Psalm 90 and read it in its entirety. This Psalm is attributed to Moses and really points out God's eternal being as versus man's mortality.
     Life, for us, is in a constant state of flux.  We face changes on an almost daily basis.  Most of us want security, but there is only one source for that security...our Lord and our God.  He is constant when we are changeable.  He is faithful while we are often unfaithful.  He is steady while we are unsteady.  The list goes on and on.
     Look at verse 1-2:  "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."
     These words of truth and faith on the part of Moses who saw more change in his lifetime than we will ever see.  From day to day, Moses had to cope with the fickle Children of Israel and their wanderings in the desert.  So what did he do?  He looked to the only constant in life - God.
     I don't know about you, but that speaks volumes to me.  When life is topsy turvy and constantly in a state of change, the one thing we can depend on is our Lord.  Hebrews 13:8 says:  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."  Likewise, in Malachi 3:6-7, we get a glimpse of who remains the same and who changes:  "For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.  Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them.  'Return to Me, and I will return to you', says the Lord of hosts.  But you said, 'In what way shall we return?'"
     We all know the saying, "If you feel far away from God, who moved?"  Well, Malachi has a good answer.  We are the ones who often change but the Lord remains the same.  He is our hiding place, our stability in times of uncertainty and our place of shelter.
     If we depend on others, they can let us down.  If we put our trust in the stock market, houses, wealth, family or friends, we are open to disappointment at some time.  However, if we put our trust in Him, we have found a refuge that will not change, disappoint, or leave.
     No one, including me, can predict what tomorrow may bring but we who know Jesus Christ know who holds tomorrow in His hands.  Therefore, we can be confident that whether we move to a new town or have new health issues or suffer disappointment, we have an unchangeable God who loves us and will never leave nor forsake us.  Selah!


Picture courtesy of Wiki Commons
http://www.geograph.org.uk/profile/32299 Andy F]