12-04-2022

Good Morning All,

         Malachi 3:6; “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

     I must be getting old. I detest it when stores have to rearrange things.  I finally figure out where everything is and then someone comes along and moves everything. Why do they do that? I am just getting comfortable with one operating system and now here comes a new one. It takes me two years to get my cell phone figured out; then it is time to get a new one and I have to start all over.  Why does everything have to change all the time?

    Life is filled with change. Some people love change; they love anything that is different than it was before and in many respects change can be good. That cell phone that drives me nuts also makes it easier to contact me or for me to contact someone else. I don’t have to look for a pay phone somewhere.  The version of word processor I use, along with email, makes these devotions possible. Without changes in the medical field some of us would probably not be here right now.  Without changes in agriculture, food would be a lot more expensive. Not all change is bad, but it isn’t all good either.

    If your boss keeps changing what you must do to get a raise, it can be very frustrating. If you are going to school and they change your program or even drop it in the middle of your education; that can be very disappointing. When the doctor keeps telling you that you’ll go home tomorrow and four tomorrows later you are still in the hospital; it can be very discouraging. 

    Some change can be devastating. A young man who looks down for a minute while driving his car and swerves into the oncoming lane and meets a truck head on and leaves a young wife and a couple of kids causes a change for her and the children that can be hard to overcome. A soldier who lets down her guard for a minute to talk to a child might not see the bomb in the road and her life is changed forever. Sometimes change is like a board to the back of the head. In these two examples, like hundreds of others, everything changes. Their lives change, their relationships with others change. The soldier’s family and friends may withdraw; not sure of how to cope. The young widow may be so overwhelmed that she isn’t sure which way to turn.  In the midst of wild changes in our life; God does not change.

     For the Lord does not change. From the beginning God loves us and cherishes us and desires to hold us close. That has never changed and never will. God is a steady, constant force who loves us and provides for us. He always has and always will. God isn’t some wishy- washy being that changes his mind on whim.  From before the foundation of the earth was laid, God loves you. The Psalmist calls us the “apple of his eye.” God looks upon us and loves us greater than any parent or grandparent could love a child or grandchild. The love of the Father is deeper than we can measure; it always was, it always is, and it always will be. For the Lord does not change.

Father of unchanging and unceasing love, we come before you are seeking your blessing on all your people especially those who are seeing painful change. Guard and protect them. Send your Spirit of comfort and peace that they may trust in you for all their comfort and peace. We thank you Father for those who are experiencing joyful change and that you would continue to guide them and bless them throughout their lives. This we ask in the precious name of Jesus, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret