We all seek security in the world, but let me share with you a hard lesson to learn. You won’t find security in the places you are seeking. You will only find true security in our God. Why? Because God is unchanging.
We seek security in relationships, finances, careers, church groups, friends, family, and political leaders. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it will leave you disappointed because people, our environment, the world we live in, will change. It is inevitable.
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The Unchanging Nature of God
My parents were young when they married. I came along soon after and as I was growing up, so were they. I watched them both mature at different rates, come to Christ, fall away, grow apart, and come back together.
Thus is the nature of us humans. We are constantly changing, growing, sometimes regressing, but never the same two years in a row.
Your friends are close, go through an ordeal and separate themselves from you. Your mentor passes away and you feel forsaken. As people, we are constantly changing, sometimes moving forward, sometimes backward, but never in the same condition as our unchanging God.
The world we know just went through (continues to go through) quite an ordeal, but world wide trials are not new. Times of peace, times of war, times of famine, times of surplus.
Nothing is secure, nothing is guaranteed.
Nothing that is except God. Great is His faithfullness!
I don’t know about you, but I am abundantly thankful that we serve a God who is unchanging!
What does it Mean that God is Unchanging?
So, what does it mean that God is unchanging? By definition, unchanging means “to remain the same”. If God remains the same then we know that His attributes remain the same, His actions remain consistent, and His expectations do not change. The consistency of an unchanging God provides us with security and a place to anchor our faith.
Although there are more, years ago I learned about 8 main attributes of God and have always relied on these during periods of doubt and uncertainty. They are:
- Love
- Eternality
- Omnipotent
- Omnipresent
- Omniscience
- Grace
- Justice
- Sovereignty
Because God is unchanging, we can rely on these attributes to not change. God will always love us and act with love toward us. We know that God always was and is greater than any fear we have of yesterday or tomorrow.
When your spouse stops loving you, your parent dies of a sudden heart attack, or you lose your job and you don’t know where your next meal is coming from, we can rest in God’s presence because not one of those things will change His character. He is still pouring His love upon you and waiting for you to lean into it.
We know that God has all power, is everywhere, and knows everything. These do not change. We can rest in an all powerful God when life is falling apart. We can have peace in the knowledge that God is walking beside us with an understanding that is beyond our own. Because God knows everything, we can rest in the fact that He sees and understands people and situations far outside of our limited knowledge.
God’s grace and justice show us that God is righteous and holy and cannot abound sin, BUT He loves us and wants to be united with His children. We can always rely on Him for understanding right from wrong as well as being forgiven when we come to Him with a repentant heart.
Lastly, God’s sovereignty brings us peace, knowing that He alone is in control. When the world around us is constantly changing, it is good to know that the God who does not change is in control.
God is Constant
“But God who never changes, cannot change His mind” James Thomas Lee Jr.
We sometimes forget that God is not a person. We change our minds when our circumstances change or when we learn something new. God does not need to change for these reasons because He is not learning something new and He does not see anything in a new light.
God is constant. His attributes, laws, and promises are constant. He had a plan before He created the world and there is nothing we can do to change that plan. He knew you and your circumstances long before you were born and He is standing here, for you, reliable and strong.
God is Immutable
By definition immutable means “unchanging over time or unable to be changed”. I can see this with God’s dealings with mankind. His attributes remain the same regardless of our actions. Obviously, there are far too many events to go into detail here, but mull over these ones:
- God created a beautiful world and made man to commune with Himself. His love for His creation is seen when He sent His son to die in our place and restore the effects of sin.
- God chose Abraham and promised to make of him a great nation. He kept that promise. He delivered them out of Egyptian bondage, remained patient with them when they complained in the wilderness, gave them strength in battle as they took over the promised land, forgave them and delivered them for hundreds of years when they fell into idolatry and repented. His mercy and faithfulness continued in spite of man’s actions.
“I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. (Malachi 3:6-7)
- The great Assyrian empire was a cruel and wicked people. God used them to punish Israel for centuries of idolatry and disobedience. He tells Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria and warn them that they are about to be destroyed. God’s mercy is seen twice in this story. First, Jonah refuses to preach God’s word and runs away. God pursues him, forgives him for his disobedience, and sets him on his way. The people of Nineveh respond to Jonah’s preaching and repent of their sins. God is unchanging, His attributes are unchanging. He forgives them because He is merciful. He does destroy them later when they return to their idolatrous ways (justice).
“Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity. (Joel 2:12-13)
God Never Changes
“There is an unwavering peace today when an uncertain tomorrow is trusted to an unchanging God.” Anne VosKamp
What does it mean for us that God never changes? It means that we have peace because we do not have to worry about God changing His mind, going back on His promises, or dropping the ball on what is going on in our lives. We have the ability to trust Him in all things, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
God is unchanging means we know that we can rely on God’s love and goodness. Joy and peace belong to us when the world is facing turmoil and stress.
God’s Unchanging Promises
God’s word is full of promises and because we serve an unchanging God, we know that His promises do not change either!
When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. (Hebrews 6:13-15)
As Abraham waited patiently He stood on the truths he knew of the God that had been taught to him. We are blessed to have scripture and a record of God’s promises to us.
Promises such as:
- I will never leave you. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
- You are heard. “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
- I am your safe place. Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)
God Never Changes Bible Verses
The Bible is filled with verses of Scripture to remind us that God never changes. Here are a few more verses about serving a God that does not change.
- God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19)
- The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
- Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
- In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing, you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Psalm 102:25-27)
God is the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever
The mountain is rumbling with the presence of the eternal God. Moses kneels before the burning bush, removing his sandals, and speaking face to face with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
He had heard of this God, been taught about him, but today he is in His presence. Moses is given instruction, a job much larger than he wants or feels he can accomplish. He argues, resists, asks questions.
“Who should I say sent me? What is your name?”
God replies as only He can.
“Tell them I Am has sent you.”
Now, we could spend an entire post on “I Am” but for this particular post on an unchanging God, I want to keep to that point. God is yesterday, today, and forever. He inhabits all space and time.
There was no title big enough for Him. He is the only great one.
Paul reminds us of this in his letter to the Hebrews. Rest in Him, my friend.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
May you find rest and peace today in the knowledge that God is unchanging.
