“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And God said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14
There are many attributes of God that a believer can take great comfort in. He is loving, kind, holy, gracious, merciful – the list goes on and on. But has the fact that God never changes ever been a source of great comfort and hope for you? Have you ever rested in the fact that, no matter what this day full of changes holds, the God of the universe is the same yesterday, today, and forever?
In Exodus 3 and 4, when God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh, the most powerful king in the known world, Moses was full of fears, doubts, and questions. Questioning his own ability, Moses feared the Pharaoh and the people of Israel would not listen to the message God was giving him. So, Moses asks, “If the people ask who sent me, what should I tell them?” And God’s response is rooted in His unchanging nature. God doesn’t say, “I have been something and will be something else, and now I am this way. Or I was and now I am about to be.”
NO.
God said I AM – always have been and always will be. (My paraphrase)
Now, why is that comforting? For one, it is comforting because God will never change in any way. He will never get any more perfect than He is right now. And second, it means He will never change for the worse. You do not have to wake up tomorrow morning wondering if His character and nature will be different. You never have to fear that His love for you will ever change. His promises will always endure for His people, for He is unchanging.
At the same time, while we take great comfort and hope that God is unchanging, the same holds true in the fact that we can change! This is the hope of the gospel – that His unchanging nature gives us the ability and the desire to change to be more like Him!
You may find yourself in some kind of sin struggle or cycle you cannot shake. And Satan is telling you lies that you will always be the same; that you can never change. Don’t listen to his lies! For in Christ, you are being changed daily from one degree of glory to another (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).
The unchanging God of the Bible desires to change you – find your hope in Him today.
Written by Austin Baker, Pastor
