Change: The Only Constant

Friday, April 17, 2020  By Pastor Van
Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit." Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that." 
James 4:13-15 NASB

Change: The Only Constant

Maybe this has never happened to you but for some the story is all too familiar.  They were working at their job and seeing great results.  It seemed that all was heading towards a successful career and they were making long-term plans to enlarge their lives with a new house and other amenities to make their family more comfortable.  And then, out of nowhere the company sold to new owners and closed down the area where they worked.  Pink slips were handed out and they found themselves seeking a new start in another company.  What did they do wrong? Nothing.  But our lives are intertwined with other forces and people we can’t control.

Sometimes in life things seem to be going pretty well.  Everything is just humming along and then, out of nowhere, a big surprise comes. Perhaps a close friend or a family member is suddenly killed.  Perhaps, after years of service your job is downsized and you lose your job.  Perhaps your wife or girlfriend just decides that she's ‘ready for a change' and leaves you suddenly.  No matter what your situation may be, sooner or later major life changes come.  These sorts of things happen to good people every single day.  What's worse, many times those changes come suddenly and without warning… causing us to do some real soul searching.  The question becomes, how are we to react when terrible change hits us?

Many people instinctively blame God for their troubles.  After all, if God is truly in control then why would He let such a difficult thing happen to us?  Some become bitter, cynical, or depressed.  I urge you not to let this happen to you when tough times come but pray that God will teach you through these difficult times.  God sometimes allows tough situations to happen to us not because He is trying to make our lives difficult, but simply because He knows that this world is only a temporary assignment for us.  He does not want us to love the world too much, because our ultimate destination is a place far better.

Further, God desires for us to have character, rather than comfort in our lives.  Sometimes difficult things happen in order to develop us into the person He wants us to be and prepare us for a greater challenge or opportunity in the future. God could have kept Daniel out of the Lions' Den.  He could have left David as a simple Shepherd, but instead he called him to fight a giant.  God has a plan and a purpose for your life, and sometimes discomfort comes so that He can accomplish His plans through us.  Sometimes tough times come just so He can demonstrate His power in our lives.

So, don't be surprised that God sometimes calls us into uncharted waters. Change is scary. Change is inevitable. But quite often God fulfills his plans for us as we place our trusting in the Lord even through difficult times. Remember today that His plans are good He will always be with you even through the most difficult of circumstances.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33