Our Unchanging Savior
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Hello November!
What a wonderful time of year! Our home is filled with the aroma of sweet treats baking in the oven while the dancing leaves outside my window beckon me to frolic in the fresh air. The trees surrounding our house are showing off their best and brightest colors with hues of gold, emerald, and crimson. People are beginning to hum with delight for the upcoming holiday season, dreaming about good food (bring on the mashed potatoes!) and time spent with family and friends.
While this time of the year is known for its beauty and excitement, it is also known for something else: change. I’m not sure about the rest of you, but change has never come easy to me, especially as I have gotten older. There is a certain sense of security that is found in a routine. Routines become normal, or more specifically, comfortable. I’m not talking about your favorite cozy sweater wrapped in a blanket on the couch comfortable, I am talking about the comfort you find in feeling safe, in not risking or sacrificing anything.
Maybe some of you know what I am talking about. I am a senior at Regent and I will be graduating shortly. Whether I like it or not, my life is about to change. Is it just me, or is that kind of scary? I know that some of you are in the same situation or will likely be at some point. Moving on from college is a time of transition. It’s a time of breaking routine and establishing a new normal. It’s a time of excitement and anticipation, and perhaps fear as well? Fear of what the future will bring, fear of the unknown, fear of change.
Or how about this entire year? 2020 has certainly been a year of change and uncertainty. I never thought I would know just how uncomfortable it is to wear a mask in public. I never thought that my wedding would be celebrated with my and my husband’s immediate family only, reduced to 10 or fewer attendants. And the implications of COVID-19 have made this traditional season of change even more significant than in years past. Without a doubt, we have all experienced a degree of uncertainty and adjustment this year as a result of the coronavirus.
Thanks be to God that these circumstances are not outside of His sovereign rule. As our verse today says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Much like this season, we experience change in our lives. But our Savior will never change who He is and what He has already accomplished for us! Jesus is eternal and steady. We need not fear the change in our world when our good and loving King is steadfast, having completed his one-time, legally binding act of love on the cross so that we could experience freedom forever. Do we live like this? Do we walk through change in a way that proclaims complete and utter faith in Jesus Christ and the work that He has done? I know that I don’t.
Maybe you are wondering what this looks like, or how this affects our lives on a day-to-day basis. Dear friends, I know the struggles of change. I am experiencing them now! I know that while I am writing these words of encouragement to you that within a few days’ time (probably closer to a few moments), I will struggle to accept God’s sovereignty in the midst of change in my own life. Take heart, brothers and sisters, that we are not alone in this battle and that God’s abundant grace is ours. Take heart that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is with us, He is for us, He loves us, and that is a truth we can rest in no matter how much change we experience.
