Stability in a changing world

I the LORD do not change (Malachi 3:6).

As the seasons change, the constellations visible in the sky also change; come winter, well-known stars like Betelgeuse, Rigel, Orion and Sirius replace the night lights of the summer months. Even over the course of one night, the constellations move from one horizon to the other. Thankfully for those who travel, there is one star that essentially remains in the same place every night, all night; this is the North Star (also called Polaris, the 'pole star'), and people have depended on it for navigation throughout history.

Unlike the stars, God is not subject to change. Even a so-called “fixed star” (like the North Star) is not truly fixed in place. Nothing in nature remains constant. Every celestial body is constantly moving; it’s just that some stars are so far away that they do not appear to move. For instance, two stars in the Great Dipper, one at either end, are travelling in a direction opposite to that of the other five stars--but it will be a thousand years before anyone on earth could notice a significant change in their positions relative to each other. Someday the North Star will be out of position, and Vega, the bright star in the constellation of Lyra, will then be used by navigators as the pole star. Even things that seem as unchangeable as stars do slowly change over time.

But the Creator is not like His creation. God does not change. God has always been alive, and He always will be alive. God has always been perfectly holy, and He always will be perfectly holy. God has always been just and fair, and He always will be just and fair. And God has always loved the creature He named Man, and He always will love we His created children.

Isn’t this comforting? What relationship in your life has ever proven to be permanent? Parents die. Children grow up and start their own families. Friends move away. Spouses file for divorce. It doesn’t seem as if there is any person in your life that you can always count on to be there for you.

But God does not change. Death cannot remove God from our lives, because Jesus defeated death through His glorious resurrection from the grave. God does not grow bored with us and turn His attention to something else. And God will not divorce us—He will not give up on us, no matter how often we neglect Him and direct our love somewhere else, so long as we come back to Him in genuine sorrow for our mistakes. God is always present, and He always wants to be the pole star of our lives. He is the one person that you can always count on. Please join me in praying:

Heavenly Father, we praise You for Your dependability; when the chaos of our lives threatens to overwhelm us, it is wonderful knowing that You are always there for us, always ready to forgive us, love us and help us. Keep us close to You always, our anchor in the storm. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.