Our Unchangeable God – October 30, 2020

Change is a guarantee in life. Nothing stays the same. People come and go. Businesses change, relationships change, politics change, churches change. Just when you finally figure out where everything is at in the grocery store, they move it all around. Everything changes because everything is subject to the curse of sin. The second law of thermodynamics informs us that everything is moving from order to disorder. We understand this. As we age, our bodies begin to break down. Because everything changes, life can be filled with anxiety. Into this world, God stands immutable.

While everything changes, God does not change. Psalm 102:27 informs us that God is the same and His years are without end. God informs us in Malachi 3:6, “For I the Lord do not change …” James informs us that God remains unaffected by time. He does not vary in his person, action, or thinking. James tells us he has no “shadow of turning.” As time moves through the day, our shadow moves with it. This demonstrates our inability to stave off change. However, God’s shadow never moves. Time has no impact on Him.

This has some fantastic implications. First, this means that God’s purposes stand forever. What God desires to do, he will do. Nothing changes that. Here is what that means for us. When we read about God in the Old Testament rescuing the children of Israel and guiding them through the Red Sea, that is the same God you serve. When you read of God stopping the mouths of the lions and preserving Daniel, that is the same God you serve. We read of the three brothers standing for God against the pagan world leader of the day and being thrown into a furnace of fire. Yet, they walked away unscathed, that is the God you serve. God does not change. The God who acted in Scripture is the God who acts today. We can have confidence in his actions because we read of an entire world history of God’s actions.  

A second implication is that God keeps his promises. Sometimes we fail to keep our promises because circumstances around us change. We are unable or unwilling to fulfill what we promised. However, because God does not change, He will always keep his promises. He promised to care for you. He will. He promised to provide for you. He will. He promised to stand sovereign over all things. He has not lost control. God’s promises to you in the Bible are guarantees. He has promised, He will do it.

Finally, He will always remain available to us. Sometimes our human relationships fall apart because people change. Friends move away or drift apart. Family members fight and splits occur. But because God never changes, he will always remain with us. While we change with every passing year, God does not. Even though we might run, He remains. When we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive it. He renews our relationship and stands by our side. That’s your God.

While you consider all that has changed through the years and perhaps even lament those changes, take solace in the God who does not change. As we feel the effects of our bodies breaking down, remember that God has promised to give us glorified bodies. Because He does not change, we can be confident in that promise. As the world around us degrades, remember that God remains the same. Anchor your life to the unchangeable Rock and find peace.