Normally, during this time of year, our church is celebrating the coming school year and discussing how we can engage our schools in prayer and with the love of Jesus. This year, the start of school is delayed and parents are facing decisions about whether or not they want to send their kids to school in person or virtually. We are still planning to engage our schools with prayer and the love of Jesus, but the world is very different than it was this time last year and it will continue to be different for some time to come.
Though the world is different, God has not been surprised, his love is not diminished, and his plan for the church and the world is the same today as it has always been. The world is different, but God stays the same.
The fact that God stays the same is explained in a doctrinal term called immutability. When we say that God is immutable, what we are saying is that God is not affected by outside circumstances. Nothing that happens in the world changes who God is. This is important, because if God were subject to regular change, he could not be an anchor that holds fast in the storms of life. If God were subject to regular change, we could not be confident in our eternal salvation because, God could just change his mind and change the rules of the game.
God’s immutability is referenced in the book of Hebrews where we read, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). In the Old Testament God declares, “For I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). Moses told us, “God is not a man, that he should lie or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19). James taught, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17).
As our world seems to spin out of control, as many call evil good and good evil, and in an age where some political leaders seem to even welcome anarchy, we need not fear. God has not moved. God has not left. He is not different today. Regardless of how dark the day may seem or how long the night may feel, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end” (Lamentations 3:22). Because he is steady and unchanging, we can claim Philippians 4:6 with confidence, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Dear reader, this year is different, but our God is unchanging. He loves you. You can trust him. And, you can lead others to trust him in these dark days as well.
