But You Remain!

“…But You remain.” Hebrews 1:11

Infants are born, they grow into toddlers, then children, next comes the sometimes volatile teenage years, after that is adulthood, then middle age and finally senior citizens…and then at last in a mixture of God’s providence, wisdom and love…we are called home. And what I have noticed is that from birth to physical death we are affronted with change! And if that weren’t enough, the details of our life are also in perpetual motion…we change where we live, who we live with, where we work, how we look, what we eat and on and on. Change, no one can escape its tenacious grip…no one. Change sails into the adventures of the brave-hearted and it works its way into the lives of the faint-hearted and pretty much everyone in between. No matter how we try to avoid it, no matter how long or how deep we try to bury our head in the sand over it-change is always swirling around us.

Now I have met a few brave souls who seem to relish the fluctuating scenery that change can bring…but for the most part, people don’t like change. In fact some people detest change and will do everything in their power to avoid or deny it…I know a few people like that too. (No names will be revealed to protect the innocent. lol) But like it or not…ready or not…change has come, is coming and will come.

Now I am not a huge fan of change either…but when faced with a decision that would alter my life, I started thinking about just what my issue with change really was. I think what bothers me most about change is that...it changes everything. lol No seriously though, change comes sweeping into our lives and nothing is the same anymore. It alters our world and we feel out of control and that my friend is a little bit scary…or a lot scary depending on who you are.

Of course not all change is bad-sometimes change ushers in a beauty to our lives that we have not yet experienced and with it comes bubbling joy and deep gratitude. But then there is also the assaulting winds of change that swoop down upon our unsuspecting hearts and nearly take our breath away from their relentless velocity. But I suppose for the most part the changes we experience are somewhere between joy and tragedy…just the everyday alterations that come to us no matter what choices we make.

There are some areas of our lives that are in a constant state of flux, while others change more s-l-o-w-l-y and still others seem more lasting…but eventually change happens because since the beginning of time no one has eluded it… except One. God has always been and without exception or interruption; will always be. No change found there. However in comparison, the book of Hebrews begins by talking about how the foundations of the heavens and earth will decay and crumble…but speaking of the Lord it says “…but You remain.” The Trinity is the ceaseless One who persists for time without end…we on the other hand have lives that are defined by the tempest of change that for us is inescapable.

So what are we to do with the ever present change that barrages every facet and season of our lives? How do we face the swirling torrent of change that threatens to swallow us up or pull us under? We must turn our gaze to the One “…who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) He is the constant that can squelch the fear of change that grips our hearts! When everything around us is like the shifting sand, He endures. When the myriad of life’s circumstances are changing at every turn, He is our unmovable Rock! He alone is the place of safety that we can run into!

We can face the storms of life and the winds of change because…He remains. Yes, He remains in that He never changes…but also because He remains at our side! No matter what change brings, He remains with us! We are never left to face it on our own. His love and guiding presence assures us that the best is yet to be and that any alterations will only lead to our eventual blessing. Why? Because He remains!!! Oh that we would grasp the unequalled treasure that His steadfast presence brings to us! No circumstance can touch us when we are abiding in His glorious presence and no wind of change can eternally impact us-because He remains! Even if everything else shifts…He remains…and the worth of that constancy is beyond compare!

In Hebrews 11 we see this walked out by the saints of old. Their lives were laden with change and most of it excruciatingly difficult change at that…but they put their faith in the God who remains. They took those painful changes and looked beyond what they could see with their natural eye. Instead they were  “…confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.” (Hebrews 11:10) Hmmmmm, a city designed and built by my everlasting Father that has eternal foundations…sounds like heaven to this change resistant girl!

But until that glorious day, loss still comes and change still happens…but we can know that His loving presence is the one constancy we can forever be assured of…and until we emerge from this earthly life and enter into the city made without human hands, into a community that has eternal foundations…let us choose to have faith that all change is filtered through His loving hands and that every disconcerting variance will fall away on that glorious day! And today may we find heart peace and unbridled joy knowing that through every troubling change that sweeps across our lives…He remains!