change

Waves of Change are Crashing All Around

March 19, 2020 by Ellen 8 Comments

The world is changing right before our eyes. Suddenly, what was once normal and ordinary has become abnormal and extraordinary.

Change changes me. I don’t handle it very well. It throws me out of the comfort zone I love. My normal, every day routine is a mess. All this change? Frazzles me. I don’t know which way is up.

Before all this, I could go to the grocery store, and not worry too much if there were no sanitizing wipes for the cart. Now? Never! Before, we could walk into our church services, shake hands and hug on our church family. Now? Online services. Social distancing.

While I totally get why we must do these things, such drastic changes in so short a period of time leave my head spinning. There is no time to process it all. I’m off balance and feel like I’m drowning. My head’s going under with the waves of change, and I can’t get my footing.

Until I feel it: my toes on the tip of a rock formation; My feet standing firm on solid footing. The solid rock of Christ, holding me up.

On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.^⁠1

Yes, the world around me is shifting and changing, but God. He never changes.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 (CSB)

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages). Hebrews 13:8 (AMPC)

God does not change.

He is still faithful.

He is still in control.

This pandemic did not take Him by surprise. While the world and things of the world may shift, our God never changes. Our foundation is Jesus Christ.

Shadows from the sun shift, but not the One who made the sun!^⁠2

Knowing that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, helps me to rest more firmly in Him. Peace washes over me, because I know He will never leave me. You can be filled with calm and tranquility, too, when you stand on the firm foundation of Christ.

Let me ask:

- Are you standing on the solid truth of His Word?

- Are you standing on the solid rock of prayer? Are you standing in the gap by praying for others?

- As much as possible in these times, are you standing (virtually or in real life) with your local body of Christ?

Waves of change are crashing all around us. Are you standing on the solid rock of Jesus?

Almighty God, Everlasting Father, we turn our eyes to You today. Our focus is not on our ever changing circumstances, but on You, our unchanging source of strength and courage, our foundation. We praise You Lord God, that You are sovereign and in control. In the mighty name of Jesus, our rock, we pray, Amen.

Grace be with you,

¹“The Solid Rock,” Mote, Edward 1834

²Blue, J. R. (1985). James. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 822). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Great Harvests Come from Small Changes

April 12, 2018 by Ellen 4 Comments

I am a creature of habit. My iPhone seems to be just like me. Each weekday morning, this is her message:

Only 40 minutes to work, take Highway 90, traffic is light.

Really sista? You need to update. Traffic is NEVER light! You need to get with the program. You need to change.

Yes, Ellen, so do you. It’s time to get with the program.

Ouch. I (almost) hate it when God speaks to me like that. I’ve been trying to roll with the changes in my life, but some of them have thrown me for a loop. So many little changes need to be made to adjust to the larger change. I have struggled with it, I’ll tell ya’.

Throughout, my prayer has been “Lord, what do you want to teach me with this? What is Your heart for me in this season?”

By and large, the answer I’ve been hearing is Yield.

Pretty hard for someone as stiff-neck and stubborn as I am.

And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Exodus 32:9 ESV

Yield.

The dictionary defines yield as “surrender; give up the struggle.” Does that mean I have to give up or give in? Does that mean I can’t take a stance, fighting for what I believe?

While there are times to stand firm, what is important right now is to yield, especially to small changes that need to be made.

I didn’t want to shorten my quiet time with God. But ten extra minutes each morning has lowered my stress level and my road rage.

I didn’t want to auto schedule my bill paying (Horrors!! That’s a loss of control!). However, it has made the process much faster and more streamlined, ultimately saving me time.

I didn’t want to miss a week of blogging. My goal is to post weekly. Sometimes, I’m not able to do this. But you know, it’s ok. The world didn’t end. Hard to imagine, but NONE of my twenty or so followers contacted me to complain or ask what happened.

Yield. It is also defined as “produce or provide.”

So, what has surrendering provided for me?

Great peace.

And a glimpse of how yielding to Christ can bring a harvest.

Have you ever seen the head of a mature sunflower that bends low with the weight of its seeds? Eventually the seeds drop to the ground. In due time, they’ll sprout and grow new flowers.

Same with yielding to Christ. When I bend low in humble obedience to the small changes He wants to make in me, the result can bring a great harvest.

I think that’s worth yielding and changing for, don’t you?

Grace be with you,