Change: Why, Lord?
This is the fourth and final week of our study on change. How should we respond to it? How does God use it in our lives? How can we be sure the changes we are experiencing are coming from God? And today, we will look at that familiar question that nearly all hearts cry when something difficult, unexpected, or shocking comes into their lives: Why?
Why does God bring those huge, dream-shattering, life-altering changes? The kind that leave us on the floor in a puddle of tears. Or stuck in a hospital bed for months. Or at the graveside of a dear loved one. I believe He has five purposes.
1. Change around us works change within us. Recognizing our own limitations help us learn to trust in our omnipotent God. And our beliefs lead to our thoughts, which lead to our behavior. We covered this process (sanctification) in detail in the last post.
2. Change teaches us to depend on Him through anything and everything. Paul understood this need. He trusted the Lord through imprisonments, beatings, fastings and watchings (going without food or sleep in order to spend time in prayer and meditation), hunger, poverty, shipwrecks, and snake bite, but especially through personal, physical weakness and contentions.
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (II Cor. 12:7-9)
Paul recognized that in his own personal weakness, God’s strength was even more evident and abundant. “God helps those who help themselves?” No. God helps those who depend upon Him.
3. Change helps us keep an eternal perspective. Romans 8 has a lot to say about the glorious eternity that is awaiting believers. But it also makes no mistake of explaining that this season of waiting will be hard. Look at these portions:
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God…For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also…waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” (Rom. 8:16-23, selected portions)
Groaning. Travailing. Pain. Suffering. It doesn’t exactly sound like heaven, does it? But that’s because it is not heaven. It still is life on this cursed earth, and as Christians, we are in a constant battle against Satan and his forces, the world system, and our own flesh. If we loved being here, why would we ever long for heaven? But knowing the difficulties, the sorrows, and the heartaches here are only temporary makes us long even more for our glorious eternal home with our Father.
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4. Change offers opportunities in our lives to bring God glory. All mankind was created for this express purpose.
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.” (Rev. 4:11)
God can and will use all kinds of situations to claim the glory that is only His. This was the case with the illness of Lazarus, Jesus’ friend.
“This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4)
In His sovereignty, His power, and His goodness, He can turn anything into an opportunity to worship Him, praise Him, and give Him glory. And He is worthy of it all.
5. Lastly, change to teaches us more of God Himself. Psalm 102:25-27 is a beautiful reminder of His immutability - His unchangeableness.
“Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the same, and Thy years shall have no end.”
I am no scientist, but we all know that we depend upon the sun for our existence. We expect its appearance daily, correctly predicting the exact time and place it will rise and set. Even the sun will grow old. Can you imagine how long it might take for the sun to wear out? But God is eternal. The age of the sun is just a blip of time to Him. And He does not change, never has and never will.
What is the change that you are experiencing, dear one? I’m sure if you aren’t going through something now, you will be soon. My heart and my prayers are with you. May God use this exploration on the topic of change to help you understand God’s design a bit more clearly and to comfort your heart during a season of change.
Three keys to remember:
God sends change to our external lives to help us keep Him and eternity in view. Whether this is our first or our thousandth time to refocus, keeping our eyes on God is the key to living a life that makes sense and matters in the scheme of eternity.
He works change in our inner lives to help us live in a manner pleasing to and worthy of Him.
Our ultimate and only stability in the midst of this ever-changing life is our God, Who never changes.