Here I was, settled in for a quiet morning with pups in the house beside me. A cloudy morning with a few showers. Yes, I was aware of the potential for severe thunderstorms. Then, as I was watching one of my favorite shows, the lights went out. It was pitch black outside and rain fell as thick as pea-soup. Suddenly, hurricane force winds hit and I thought “this is it!” Within a minute or two the storm passed, generator back-up kicked in, I let out a sigh of relief, and I thanked the good Lord for sparing us. What I didn’t realize was the devastation awaiting us outside.
It was later reported by the National Weather Service that an EF-1 tornado soared through our area with 104 mph winds. A total of eleven 100-foot pine trees were uprooted and crashed against our fence line, just like toothpicks. More limbs and smaller trees were snapped in two. One tree crashed so hard it ruptured the water line. Fortunately and gratefully, no injuries and no structural damage here occurred. Other properties did not survive as well.
What happened this week was an immediate reminder to me just how quickly circumstances can change in an instant. How many relatives or friends of mine have died from sudden medical emergencies, car wrecks, or acts of violence? My own father had his business destroyed by a tornado and one of his employees died when refusing to evacuate. Yes, change happens instantly for someone every second of every day.
The good news is that just as quickly as things can change for the worse, things can change for the better with a new or renewed relationship with God. Yes, when emergencies enter our life, it’s overwhelming, confusing, even terrifying. We can go to bed at night to one reality and wake up to a completely different life. Change can make us feel lost and abandoned, like we’ve been tossed overboard in the midst of a storm. We’re left reeling, trying to grab ahold of anything we can find that’s strong and stable. We’re tempted to run from change, as though we could ever escape it.
As the world around us continues to change, we need a place to find hope. The truth is, there is one thing that never changes, the one thing that stays the same: our unchanging God. The Bible tells us in Malachi 3:6 that God never changes. “For I the LORD do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed”. There is no transition, inconsistency, or change in this God.
Because God never changes, his word never changes and His promises for us remain true (Romans 8:38-39): “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Yes, things will continue to change, in the world around us and in our lives, in an instant. Some of those changes will feel like a tiny ripple, and others feel like a ten-foot tidal wave. But no matter what changes we face, we need not fear. We need not hide. We need not despair. Our rock and anchor is our unchanging God, whose character and promises remain fixed forever.
Debby Efurd is co-founder of Cary John Efurd Ministries of Pittsburg, TX. She has been a contributor to Bound for Life and written numerous articles published in LifeNews, Christian Post and the Baptist Standard, and is the author of Go Tell It! Debby can be contacted at caryjohnefurdministries@gmail.com. Visit her at the Second Mile blog at https://debbyefurd.com.
Tagged: God’s love, Texas weather
