We divide the day into morning, noon, and evening. For us, time is measured by the changes we experience. If we talk about ourselves, recounting our childhood, we will use the past tense – "I was", when we speak at the moment, we use the present tense – "I am", and when we think about the future, the verb tense also changes – "I will be". Why? Because we undergo changes, just like everything else in the physical world around us. We grow, mature, age, and we hope to grow wise as well. Of course, changes are not always only positive or only negative – they depend on circumstances, our decisions, and most importantly, on the will of God.
At the start of each subsequent January, perhaps we all feel the fresh breeze of something new, of opportunities waiting to be realized, or of changes that might bring something better than the past year. The unknown and the future also hide the risk that the change may not be for the better, and from there comes the anxiety, that unpleasant "tingle" whispering: "What if?". While we change and everything around us poses questions, there is One who is called "I am," not "I was." In the words of God, there is complete certainty. Interestingly, this is the only place in the Old Testament where God presents Himself in this way: "I am the Eternal – the One who is" (…) "This is My name forever and this is My designation for future generations." (Exodus, ch. 3, v. 14a, 15b*) Elsewhere in the Old Testament, God says of Himself: "For I am the Lord, I do not change – hence you, Jacob's descendants, have not perished." (Malachi, ch. 3, v. 6*, bold is ours) As humans, it is impossible for us to even remotely understand this quality of the Lord – unchanging. While concepts like loving, holy, strong, wise are closer to our human ideas, the notion of someone not changing is impossible for the human mind to grasp, because we constantly experience changes – on a physical, emotional, and even spiritual level.
This is precisely why we long so much for security. Even adventurers have areas of their lives where they seek some stability. For many people, this is home, the place where they grew up. Family, friends, loved ones, and for almost all of us, money plays such a role. Financial security, knowing that I can feed myself, clothe myself, sleep warmly, and provide the same for those dear to my heart, is key. We do not work for money itself but for the security it provides. In Proverbs, ch. 23, v. 4-5, we see how fleeting and unreliable this confidence that comes from money is: "Do not strive to acquire wealth; do not set your thoughts on it. Once you set your eyes on it, behold – it is no longer there: it has made itself wings and flies to heaven like an eagle." Yes, we need means, but they are not the eternal, unchanging hope that our hearts seek, as they are fleeting, like everything material around us. The same applies to people. They also cannot bring us this security, but we stubbornly turn our parents, children, spouses, friends, or even ourselves into our reliance: "Thus says the Lord: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and flesh makes his strength, and whose heart departs from the Lord. And he shall be like a shrub in the desert, so he will not see when good comes, but will dwell in parched places in the wilderness, in a salt and uninhabited land'" (Jeremiah, ch. 17, v. 5-6*, bold is ours) Why does the Lord warn us not to rely on people to protect or make us happy? Because He knows what He has placed in us, knows He has given us this eternal hunger and pursuit towards Himself, which cannot be satisfied by anything less. And we humans are small.
In this new year that we have all entered, we wish you to feel the unchangeability of God and the confidence that comes from it. He and only He is the same – yesterday, today, and forever. And let us change – for the better, towards what He has determined us to be since the beginning of the world.
Challenge for the week: You can make a list of things you would like to change in yourself over the coming year. Be brave and sincere as you write it, do not let doubt and past failures stop you from writing everything down. The Lord is the One who will work in you, and for Him, nothing is impossible.
*The biblical quotes are from the Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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