A month ago, I was eating lunch with some friends from church at a pizza joint in Greenville.
Today, I ate a home-cooked meal at my mom's kitchen table.
In four months, I'll be eating God-only-knows-what while I'm sitting God-only-knows-where.
A month ago, I was working out at my CrossFit gym in Greenville, being pushed by my coaches and friends.
Today, I ran two miles through a Camden neighborhood alone.
In four months, I'll be running with people I haven't even met yet through streets I cannot currently find on a map.
A month ago, I was studying sociology and poverty and interning at a Greenville non-profit.
Today, I am working on World Race prep and reading Defining God by John Piper.
In four months, I'll be sitting in my tent pouring over my Bible and whatever has been downloaded to my Kindle.
Change. Transition. Uncertainty.
My life looks different today than it did a month ago, and it will look drastically different in four months than it does right now. I'm reeling from the fact that my college chapter is over, I'm trying to find God's purpose for me in these four months at home, and I'm nervously and excitedly anticipating what He has planned for the race.
The world is spinning around me, and nothing seems to be permanent at all.
This morning, my pastor at Bethel preached on transition and it led me to look up the word "change" in the concordance in the back of my Bible. It listed just four verses. (It is a very basic concordance. These are not the only four instances of the word "change" in the Bible.)
Here are the four verses that were listed:
"God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"
(Numbers 23:19)
"For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."
(Malachi 3:6)
"But this one [Jesus] was made a priest with an oath by the one who said to him:
"The Lord has sworn
and will not change his mind,
‘You are a priest forever.’"
(Hebrews 7:21)
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
(James 1:17)
Did you see what these four verses had in common? If not, go back and read them again. This revelation will be much more exciting if you find it for yourself!
I turned to the back of my Bible expecting to find advice on how to respond to the change in my own life, but instead I found four verses talking about that which does not change!
Numbers 23:19 — God does not change His mind. What He has spoken, He will always fulfill.
Malachi 3:6 — God does not change in His commitment to grace. We will not be consumed by his wrath because His compassion does not fade.
Hebrews 7:21 — Authority does not change hands, but belongs to Jesus. He is our Priest forever.
James 1:17 — God does not change His character. He will always be our Father and the Source of every good and perfect gift.
Nearly everything about my life is changing: the friends who live nearby, the members of my small group, the church I worship with on Sundays, who I live with, how I work out, what I eat, why I read, where my thoughts are focused, and more. Everything feels transient and uncertain.
But God. But God is not transient or uncertain. He does not change. The God who sustained me through high school and guided me through college is the God who met with me this morning. He is the God who will comfort me in my tent each night on the race. He is I AM.
He does not change His mind about His plans for my life. I never imagined I'd be moving back to my home in Camden after college graduation, but this was not a change of plans for Him. He knew I'd be here long before I started kindergarten. He does not change in His kindness or His goodness, in His expressions of tender compassion or His commitment to my sanctification and growth. He remains in authority. He is Lord over all. He was yesterday, He is today, and He will be forevermore. He does not change.
When all else seems shaky, He is the Rock. When all else seems uncertain, He remains the same. When all else races by at breakneck speed, He whispers, "Come away with me. I have not changed. I have not moved. Sit in my presence and feel my peace. I AM."
What a comfort! When I have nothing else to count on as guaranteed, I have Him. And so do you. Whether you are preparing for a new summer internship, for your kids to start middle school, for your wedding day, or for the birth of a new child, you can count on one thing to always remain the same– the Great I AM. He has what you need for today, and He'll have what you need for tomorrow. Don't turn to that which fades for satisfaction or comfort, or your peace will not last. Rest in the everlasting arms of the only source of true security. I AM has open arms for you… and He always will.
That, my friends, simply will not change.
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I still have to raise $2,600 to cover the cost for this trip, so if God lays it on your heart to help send me out by supporting me financially, click "Support Me" on the left to make a tax-deductible donation online. Or, cut out the 3% online processing fee by writing a check to "Adventures in Missions" with "WARDKALEIGH" in the info line and mailing it to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
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If you feel led to help cover the cost of my personal expenses (supplies/gear, flight to launch city, immunizations), you can contact me personally for more information. I am paying for as much as I can out of my savings account, but I appreciate any donations for these costs as well!
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