Things Change, God Doesn’t

telephoneBooth

telephoneBoothA family went to one of those restaurants where the walls are plastered with movie memorabilia. The grandmother went to see the hostess about reserving a table. When she returned, she found her 10-year-old granddaughter staring at a poster of Superman standing in a phone booth. She looked puzzled.

“She doesn’t know who Superman is?” she asked her husband.

“Worse,” he replied. “She doesn’t know what a phone booth is.”

Those of us who are grandparents are very much aware of how much this world is changing. Our grandchildren don’t have the slightest clue about many of the the things that were a part of our normal lives — rotary phones (and party lines!), 8-track tapes, 3.5 inch floppy disks for the computer (that held a whopping 1.5 MB of data each), a television set that only picked up 3 stations (and they went off the air at midnight after playing the national anthem), bottles of milk delivered to your door, clotheslines, and S&H green stamps.

The truth is, in 50 years most of what we consider “high-tech” right now will be obsolete and forgotten by our grandchildren’s grandchildren. What Peter said (quoting from Isaiah) was true — “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass, the grass withers and its flower falls away.” (I Peter 1:24). This world is constantly changing. That can be a scary thing, because it means that the things you depend on today may not be around next week. That creates a degree of uncertainty and fearfulness.

Fortunately, Peter goes on to say that there is something that doesn’t fade away — “…But the word of the Lord endures forever.” (I Peter 1:25). As the Hebrew writer affirmed, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:18).

The story is told of a preacher who was out for a walk in the countryside when he stopped by a farmhouse for a drink of water. As he sipped from his glass, he struck up a conversation with the old farmer who lived there.

As they spoke, the preacher noticed that the farmer’s barn had a weathervane on it that was spinning around in the wind, which was picking up. On the weathervane the words “God is Love” were engraved.

The preacher turned to the farmer and said, “I have to say I don’t think that’s a very good way to talk about God’s love. Are you saying His love is wishy-washy and changes, depending on which way the wind blows?”

“Not at all,” replied the farmer. “That weathervane is saying, ‘No matter which way the wind blows, God is Love’.”

In a world that is constantly changing, there are a few things you can always count on. May your confidence be in God, His word, and His love. He will never forsake you, and He will never let you down.

Alan Smith

Scroll to Top