Thursday, March 3, 2022

          We know that God often spoke through prophets in the Bible.  He used prophets to reveal something about His character.  He spoke through prophets to announce the coming of His Son Jesus.  Through Malachi, God said, “I am the LORD and I do not change” (Malachi 3:6).  He made a clear declaration about His character and His ways.  God’s character does not shift or shape-change.  His character is not whimsical or chameleon-like.  God is God.  And His character is the same today, yesterday and forever.  God’s ways do not change.  He loves us.  He pursues us with the offer of grace, goodness and forgiveness.  God’s character and ways are good and righteous.  He is not evil, duplicitous or manipulative.  He does not carry grudges and is able to scatter our sins as far as the east is from the west (By the way, Psalm 103:9-14 would be a fantastic Bible study on God’s forgiving nature!).
            But to think on God’s changeless nature for a moment, what can we carry away?  How does that connect with us in 2022?  Let me suggest a few possibilities to consider.  First, you can be confident that God is present.  He is with you and near you.  As a follower of Jesus, you can be confident that you are in Christ and Christ is in you.  The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart and life of a believer.  And God’s presence with us is never contingent upon our feelings.  We can easily feel alone or isolated depending upon the circumstances of the day.  However, we come back to trust, not our feelings, but God’s character and changeless promises that He is present.
            Second, God’s guidance does not conflict with His Word.  If you believe God is leading you to rob a bank, then you are wrong.  God’s Word is clear about not stealing or seizing the things that do not belong to you.  God has graciously given His Word to us by inspiring prophets, evangelists, disciples and apostles to record His Word as His Holy Spirit led them.  There is no reason to believe that God would try to confuse us by leading us to do anything that conflicts with Scripture.  If you are seeking God’s will about your life or a matter in the Bible, it can be terribly helpful to seek out a fellow believer who can discern with you and walk alongside you.  We can know that God will offer real-time guidance that is consistent with His written Word.    
            Third, God is not punitive or spiteful to us.  He does not react emotionally or off-the-cuff toward us.  God is active and not reactive.  He is working out His sovereign purposes every single day.  We do not have to stress over what mood God will be in and whether or not we are in good standing with Him.  When we wake up, God is there with us just as He was the days before.  We can act reflexively (and poorly) to a driver who cuts us off or to a child who disappoints us with some bad choices.  But God does not act emotionally or rashly.
            We build our faith on the reality of God’s changeless nature.  That is a rock-solid foundation that will NEVER disappoint you.  And you also have a trusted faith that you can share with others who may not know the Lord or may be battling through some trying times and circumstances.  To know and to love a changeless God gives you a faith that never changes or flees away.  Have a great Thursday!