God's unchanging character

Life brings us all bad news: the loss of a loved one, health, income, relationship, reputation, and so on. The psalmist wrote, 'When I am afraid, I put my trust in you' (Psalm 56:3 NIV). When bad times come, we need to hold on to everything we know about who God is. We must remind ourselves that he is loving, caring and worthy of complete trust. Sometimes God will give us the answer; other times he'll give us the assurance of his presence. In changing times, we must keep hold of the unchanging character of God (see Malachi 3:6).

An old hymn says, 'When all around my soul gives way, he then is all my hope and stay.' Does this mean denying our feelings and emotions? No. David said, 'I pour out my complaints in his presence and tell him my troubles' (Psalm 142:2 GWT). God isn't asking us to deny the pain, loss and reality of our circumstances; even Jesus offered up prayers with 'fervent cries and tears' (Hebrews 5:7 NIV). If we don't pour out our heart before God, we risk hardening our heart towards him.

It's in tough times that, if we turn to God, we discover he's there. When trouble comes, we can stand on his word which says, 'I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go' (Genesis 28:15 NIV).



So what now? Know this: God's character is unchanging. Therefore, you can put your trust in him to help you through the times that shake and try to break you.





— SCRIPTURE —

'When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.' Psalm 56:3 NIV
— SOULFOOD —

Jer 18-21, Matt 1:1-25, Ps 59:1-8, Pro 14:21-22