Three Promises to Cling to in Seasons of Change

I’ve spent the morning doing some writing and editing with my back porch door wide open. Fall has finally arrived in North Carolina and the air outside is swirling with change. For starters, it’s twenty degrees cooler than it was just a few days ago. On cue with the temperature shift, there’s a fresh crunch on the ground as leaves are starting to fall. The sun is rising and falling at new times. And I can almost sense the anticipation from the doves now covering the ground as they forage for food to prepare for the colder season.

I adore this time of the year. Pumpkins, boots, and all things cozy are definitely my love language. But a part of me wants to call a timeout as summer shifts into fall. In central North Carolina, where we go from 94 degrees to 54 degrees in less than 24 hours, we tend to dive head first into autumn. There is no easy transition for those of us who prefer a little hand-holding as things change.

The same can be said when we are forced to adjust to circumstantial changes in our lives. As much as we may want things to stay the same, change is unavoidable. When the winds of change are blowing around me, these three promises from God’s Word help to keep me grounded:

1. Jesus will always be the one constant in my life. Regardless of how many things might be changing around me, Jesus remains the same. His love never changes. His promises never change. My earthly circumstances will come and go, but Jesus is consistently who He says He is. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) 
2. There is nothing I can do to separate me from His love. I’ve made so many mistakes reacting to things that I could not control. Some of them probably wouldn’t surprise you. Others would make your jaw drop. We serve a God who graciously forgives our mistakes and then sweeps in to restore all that was broken. Nothing surprises Him and nothing we do can revoke His love for us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39 NIV) 
3. Today’s change is the breeding ground for tomorrow’s hope. It’s easy to read the Bible with hindsight and see God’s faithfulness displayed as He leads His people through seasons of change. Hope always follows the chaos. The challenge lies in applying that same biblical hindsight to our seasons of change, but God’s Word promises us that hope is on the way.  We can trust Him in our change. So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, 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. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. (Hebrews 6:18-19 NLT)

If you are moving through a season of change, my prayer for you today is that Jesus would be your refuge. He is our steadfast anchor in an unsteady world around us. Let’s cling to Him today.

Wishing you a week filled with hope as you move forward with crunchy leaves beneath your feet.