My title for this devotion is When No Change is Good.

I write, read, and listen a lot on the topic of change. In fact, I just recently (February 18) wrote about how no change = death. And I still agree with that. We are in a constant state of flux. They say if you wear clothes now that go out of style just hang onto them because in a few years they will be back. (My mind does not compute a new influx of  parachute pants, the workout outfits of the ’80s, bell-bottom jeans, etc.  And yes, that was a shiver you just felt). 🙂 Aging baseball players, especially pitchers, sometimes need to reinvent themselves by learning a new pitch or a new approach to pitching or simply pitching smarter. As I stated in that February 18 devotion, as an aging pastor I need to not be locked into “what once was.” “That’s the way I’ve always done it and I’m not going to change.”  Yeah…and they’ll be looking at my back as I fade into the sunset.  I’m not talking surface when I talk about change. I no longer wear a suit and tie to preach in. Jeans and a t-shirt or casual shirt is sufficient. When people see me in a suit and tie (which is very rare) and comment about how I clean up well, I tell them they better hope they don’t see me like this. That means I’m either marrying them or burying them. 🙂

In all seriousness, amidst all the change there is one constant. One of my favorite verses is Psalm 20:7- “Some trust in chariot and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” Chariots and horses represent material things, things we can touch. Without question there are those who trust in material things. They put a lot of stock in their bank account; their house; their cars; their toys; their job. All temporary.

The psalmist, though, is telling us there really is only one place to put our trust- the Unchanging God.  The Rock. The Great I Am. The King of kings. The One who never changes. The One who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever.” He doesn’t shift. The rest of that verse is poignant also because verse 8 completes the thought: “They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” The chariot and horse will fall but not God!

“Father, change occurs. Temporary things are just that-temporary.  But You never change.  Never falter. Never fall. I place my trust in You-the Unchanging One.”