WHEN CHANGES COME IN WAVES
Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me. Psalm 42:7
Have you ever been knocked over by a huge wave? I have. As a child of 5 years old, I almost drowned when I was knocked under, then tumbled round and round for what seemed like an eternity. I couldn’t get my footing for the next wave that came so down I went again. My parents plucked me out of the water. To this day, I’m not real fond of the ocean deep.
Too many changes in one’s life, all at once, put a person in a fragile place emotionally. It seems too much to process as each change knocks me off my feet like a towering wave. I have no perspective as I struggle to discern direction. When I initiate the changes, it’s easier but most change is what happens tome and I have no control over it.
How do you handle change? Do you have a strategy? It’s easy to conceive man-made ones. 1.) Cope with today and don’t borrow tomorrow’s trouble. 2.) Lean on family and friends. This is usually the best that we can initiate without God. If things are really hard, these won’t sustain. Inner stability will deteriorate.
There is a certain kind of personality that thrives on change but I contend that it’s change they control. No one likes an unexpected knock on the door that brings tragic news. I’ve had my share of seasons where everyday brought some kind of bad news. Difficult times never seem to last a year. Instead, five years, twelve years, even twenty-two years. I’m very familiar with how that looks since severe depression runs in my extended family. I’ve seen some break with reality. Feeling that I could also follow my genetic leanings, I knew that I must draw close to Jesus and follow His lead in developing spiritual strategies.
What did Jesus do when he felt the pressures of his life? Got alone with His Father to pray. He reviewed the scriptures and God’s history. This is the prescription for any of us today who know that the only stability available to us is the foundation of our faith in God.
- God knows all things future. He’s not wringing His hands over this change in my life. Acts 8:26
- God already knows the outcome and, if I’m willing, will lead me safely to the other side. Numbers 23:19
- God is unchanging. Though my life shifts, He is always the same. I cling to Him and not temporal things. James 1:17
- God is still a righteous Judge even when it appears evil is winning. Psalms 7:11-13
- God is faithful and true. Deut. 32:4
When I’ve lost my footing and can’t see my way forward, when too many changes are happening all at once, I bind myself to You since You are my future. You pluck me out of the deep and set my feet on solid ground. In Jesus name, Amen
Copyright Christine Inc.
Originally published Monday, 09 September 2019.
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