Our Consistency
Hello Bride of Christ,
Life is ever changing. Change in essence is what it means to be living. I was working this week with my kindergarten aged son on a writing assignment where he had to describe a lifecycle. At every stage of the lifecycle regardless of which living creature we observed there were major changes to denote the next stage in the cycle. Internal growth was occurring as prevalently as the external growth we could see with our naked eyes. If change comes with growth and growth represents we are living why do we dread change so much? Where does this desire for stability come from?
Moses was a man that experienced change constantly. Being born to Hebrew parents, but then placed in a river to die, but drawn out by Pharaoh's wife to be raised as a king. He received an education and a sense of moral compass which allowed him to see the injustice and being immature in his passion became a murder. Fear drove him out to the wilderness where he would go from being a single man to being a husband and son in-law helping with the family business. As he gets older and comfortable with his daily routine is then called by God to go back to where he originally came from and face his fears and lead the children Israel out of captivity. Across the Red Sea, into the wilderness, receiving the commandments, rebuking the golden calf, building the tabernacle, leading the people and raising up the next generation of leaders to just name a few of the significant changes and events in Moses journey. Bringing us to the end of his leadership journey. It is in the passing of the leadership baton we get to see what Moses was clinging to throughout all these changes in his life journey. We also see why change is a must with life.
"Then Moses went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them: 'I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I can no longer go out and come in. Also the Lord has said to me, 'You shall not cross over this Jordan.' The Lord your God Himself crosses over before you; He will destroy the nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua himself crosses over before you just as the Lord has said. "And the Lord will do to them as He did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. "The Lord will give them over to you, that you may do to them according to every commandment which I have commanded you. "Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:1-6)
God placed in us this God shaped void. Nothing can fill it. It is that desire for stability, purpose, consistency. Since it is God shaped as the picture depicts only God can fit. Moses' words to the children of Israel reveal his dependency on the Lord through all his life changes. It is this wisdom he passes on to Joshua the next leader of the children of Israel.
"Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, 'Be strong and of good courage, for you must go with this people to the land which the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it. "And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
If Joshua did not receive or understand the message then Lord made sure to remind Joshua of this message again when a major life change happened. Death of a loved one is a major change, and it's during this time the passing of Moses the Lord speaks to Joshua and remind him. "... as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage..." (Joshua 1:5-6)
Bride of Christ, the Lord knows we are going to experience change for He desires for us to live and grow. We are not called to try to stop the changes or be fearful of them. We are called to remember God is with us in the midst of the change. We are called to remember our God does not change. We are called to remember our God is with us and will never leave us. This God shaped void is what does not change. It is God Himself that is our consistency. As the writer of Hebrews so kindly reminds us it is because "He Himself has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' We can boldly say: "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear. What can mad do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)
