Change is one thing that drives us closer to God. “Change and decay in all around I see; O Thou who changest not, abide with me.” 1 All things change, but Jesus never. He’s the only thing that remains constant.
One of the circumstances when this is most evident is when we move to a new place or job or especially a new country. We become accustomed to our homes, things, friends, or habits, and we tend to rely on or trust in those things. When businesspeople, teachers, or students go to foreign countries to work or study, some of them experience culture shock, because they’ve been used to having the same thing all their lives—the same language, the same friends, the same place to live. All of a sudden they can’t rely on those things anymore.
As Christians, we have a head start on adapting to changes because we have an anchor that holds us steadfast and sure. We have a rock that is always solid that we can always trust. In some ways, our lives are much the same every day because we trust God every day. Our Rock keeps us safe and secure all the time, no matter what the waves are like.
No matter what happens or where we go or where we live or what the conditions may be, God’s still there, and He’ll always keep us, no matter what. So we can have a wonderful feeling of security that people without faith may not experience, no matter how long they live in the same place and do the same things and go to the same school and have the same house and the same pets and the same friends. Their feeling of security can be interrupted at any moment and fall apart when even one of those things on which they rely changes. Whereas “we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” 2
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If you feel buffeted by the waves of life, why not invite Jesus to be your anchor too? Simply ask Him:
Dear Jesus, please come into my life and give me the security and stability that comes from knowing You—regardless of what’s going on around me. Amen.