The word “change” for many is a
four-letter word. Any change can be painful, and I’ve found the older I get,
the more change pains me. But the reality is, change is inevitable. It’s going
to happen no matter how much you or I resist it, ignore it, or even try to
pretend that it doesn’t exist and is not happening.
No matter what type of change we face, change always produces stress. Negative changes like disease, death, divorce, or losing a job all add stress to our lives. But positive change also produces stress. Things such as the birth of a baby, a marriage, a graduation, or a promotion all are good things, but they are stressors, nonetheless.
As believers, how should we respond to change? Are there some principles we can claim and verses we can cling to as we process through the stresses that change brings? Here are some suggestions:
1. We must look for God amidst the
change – We often
make the mistake, especially if the change is perceived as being negative, that
God cannot be in it. We tend to look for some means of comfort during change
when what we need to do is look for the Lord. The Lord promises in Jeremiah
29:13, “you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your
heart.” So, look for the Lord today, He is with you.
2. We must ask the right questions
– At 60, I am
so resistant to change, the first question I want to ask is “Why?” My thoughts
and prayers tend to be consumed with “Why God?” It’s taken all 60 years of my
life, but I think I am finally realizing that the correct question is “What?”
as in “Lord, what do you want me to learn from this situation?” When I get
stuck on the why question, I often resent change. When I work through feelings
and get to the what question, those are the times I experience growth. Psalm
111:2 states, “The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have
pleasure in them.”
3. We must focus on the things
that never change
§ The Lord never changes – Hebrews 13:8 reads, “Jesus
Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
§ The Lord’s love for us never
changes – In Jeremiah
31:3 we read the Lord’s promise, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”
§ The Lord’s word never changes – It is a strong consistent in
our life day after day, year after year. Psalm 119:89 states, “Forever, O
Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.”
§ Circumstances change, but the
Lord’s plans do not –
When we question the Father and do not see His hand at work, we would be wise
to remember the words of Solomon in Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
4. We must hold fast to His promises
– In Jeremiah
21:45 we are assured, “Not one of all the Lord’s promises to Israel failed;
every one was fulfilled.” Yes, change at times is very difficult, but
remember that the Lord always has the final word. Philippians 1:6 assures us
that He is not finished with us; 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast our cares on
Him because He cares for us, and Philippians 4:6-7 promise that when we bring
our concerns to Him in a spirit of trust and thankfulness, His peace will guard
our hearts and minds.
5. We must tell the Lord that we
trust Him no matter what –
If anyone who ever lived knew the stress of negative changes it was the man Job,
that the book is named after. Job lost his wealth, his children, his
relationship to his wife and friends, and his health. Amid all these negative
changes, Job made a startling exclamation. In Job chapter 11, a friend by the
name of Zophar accuses Job of great sin. He tells him in essence that bad things
only happen to bad people and with the amount of bad in Job’s life, he must be
guilty of some grave sin. Job 12 and 13 record Job’s response to Zophar. Job
13:15 is Job’s statement that amazes me. He states, “Though He (God) slay
me, yet will I trust Him.” I want to have that type of faith, that when I
cannot see His hand, I simply trust His heart.
Remember friend that God is not limited by time or space. We look back in the past through human history, or even through the history of our own life, and we see God was there. When we get to the present will find He is already there. That’s comforting to me because I know whatever changes I am going through today; I can face them knowing He was here ahead of me!
