This past year has been a year of change in my life. Our home has changed. My work has changed. Schedules, routines, and so much that had been familiar was suddenly very different. Through it all, God has both changed me and reminded me that He never changes.

1. Change is inevitable. Life is constantly changing! The Lord built change into our world and we must not despise it. Change is the unchanging principle in this life.
2. Change never touches God. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Heb. 13:8). Only He can say, “I change not” (Mal. 3:6). Changes can be disorienting, even when you know it is in God’s plan. Your spiritual equilibrium can seem “off.” At such times always go back to what you know for sure.The Lord never changes. Who you are in Christ never changes. The Word of God and His promises never change. Your access to the Father in prayer never changes. Life’s ultimate goal, the glory of God, never changes.
3. Change is only profitable when it turns me more and more to the changeless Christ. Stay in tune with God. This is not the time to allow distance between you and the Lord. So many people slip through the cracks during the “in between” times of life. We must be near enough to the Lord to hear His promptings. Acts is a transition book. The early believers went through unbelievable changes. They would never have known what to do (and not to do) apart from a continued openness to the Holy Spirit. The hymn writer had it right, “Keep the way clear; let nothing between.”
4. The most important changes are not external but internal. Circumstances and surroundings may change, but the eternal changes are the ones God accomplishes in our hearts. Give attention to the inner man.
5. Everything does not have to change. It is wonderful that you do not have to lose the friends God has given you. Work to keep the relationships you have! God’s work is addition and multiplication; it is the devil’s work to subtract and divide. I am rarely in the place where I served for so long, but my thoughts and prayers are. That will not change.
6. Change is an opportunity. Times of transition can be scary. Remember that the Lord teaches many of His greatest lessons “in the mean time” (John 4:31). We must make the most of these moments! Don’t rush it. Many a person has waited on the Lord until the actual time of transition came. Then, something happens! We want to get it over with. At this point it is easy to get ahead of the Lord.Step by step wait on Him to show you what is next. You didn’t have all the answers yesterday and you don’t have to have them today. Adrian Rogers said that with God “timing is more important than time.” God is not in a hurry; wait on His timing for every detail.
7. Keep a grateful heart. In change and uncertainty we are prone to grumble, to complain. This is the worst thing you can do! Give God thanks. Bless the Lord and speak in faith. This is true not only in your heart but in your home. Talk openly and pray with every member of the family. There is always emotion involved in change. Each person affected by transitions will express their emotion differently. Allow them to work through it and encourage everyone to keep their eyes on Jesus.

If you are going through a season of change give God your undivided attention! He is at work in you and for you. Use this parenthesis for…

• Examination – what is God teaching me?
• Elimination – what needs to be removed?
• Concentration – what does the Lord want me to give my energy to?

Soon we will be in the land where no changes come. Until then, keep resting in the Lord and follow His lead. He knows the road ahead.