God Never Changes
It was March 2020, and I finally had the chance. I had wondered most of my adult life if I could do it. Now I was going to find out - could I work from home? Would I be able to stay focused, get things accomplished, be productive? I didn’t change jobs, just location, the same as many of you.
That first morning, my mind raced with all the changes taking place. But as I headed to my “new” office, I realized that some things hadn’t really changed. I still had to go down stairs to my office, and I still had lots of work to do. And more importantly, the One I work for had not changed. The God that I served in my office is the same God I would be serving in my
repurposed craft room.
He Himself reminds us of this in Malachi 3:6a: “For I am the Lord, I change not.” The God whose strength carries us through hardships and trials is the same God who helps us through “normal” days, as well. Do we run to Him on easy days with the same intensity as trouble-filled days? He is there for us every day, no matter what it holds. This pandemic - or any of the situations we find ourselves in - has not taken God by surprise.
Daniel found himself in uncertain times, as well. He chose to respond in trust and worship: “Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His: And He changeth the times and the seasons: He removeth kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness and the light dwelleth with Him.” (Dan. 2:20-22)
God never changes - we must cling to Him in any and all circumstances. Hebrews 1:10-12 reminds us that He is our eternal foundation: “And Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands: They shall perish; but Thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail.”
Whether you are reading this in a time of crisis or calm, this fact applies to everything in our lives: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” (Heb. 13:8). He is the unchanging truth to which we can cling, and all the attributes of God stand behind His Word.
Keep your focus on Him.
If you find yourself working from home, here is a list of considerations that you might find helpful: When it comes to choosing a work area, pick one that is free of distractions. (In my case, the distraction was our cockatiel, Stormy.)
Organize your space and personalize it. Also, make sure you have the technology you need to do your job.
Speaking of technology, think about the view through the camera. Since my new office was a messy craft room, I used a portable clothes rack and a piece of material to create a backdrop that I changed occasionally.
For your daily routine, make sure you have habits to mark both the start and finish of your day. The routine that helped me the most was to dress the part. I found it really helped me focus on the fact that I was at work and needed to remain diligent (although I did allow for casual Fridays).
Create a plan for children who are at home. Establish ground rules about interruptions and plan activities for them to do.
If you are working for someone, you also need to know what their expectations are for you. Continue to interact with your co-workers. This was a challenge for me, so I pushed myself to reach out to people who I thought might need encouragement, instead of forcing it to be all business.
Take advantage of working from home by planning a walk at lunch time or doing your laundry during the day.
Even with all of these plans in place, it can be difficult to work from home. If you need a lift for your day, make time to meditate on the things about God that don’t change. Here is a short list to get you started:
God loves you - no matter what. “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:38-39)
God thinks about you. “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!” (Ps. 139:17)
God is all-powerful. “O Sovereign Lord! You have made the heavens and earth by Your great power. Nothing is too hard for You!” (Jer. 32:17)
God is ever-present. “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” (Ps. 139:7-12)
God is all-knowing. “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding.” (Isa. 40:28)
God is holy. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” (I Pet. 1:15)
God is truth. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
God is righteous. “The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.” (Ps. 145:17)
God is just. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” (2 Cor. 5:10)
God is merciful and faithful. “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” (Lam. 3:22-23)
James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
