Constant.

How many things in this world are truly constant? Talk to a woman whose husband has left her – a husband she just knew she would grow old with. Maybe a dear friend has hurt you deeply, therefore causing you to sever ties.  Believe me, even our good health can be taken for granted as a constant blessing in our lives. Daily, I am reminded of life’s changing turns and twists and I gotta say – I don’t like it.  But, there is one thing that never changes and that gives me great hope in the midst of my spinning life.  My God is a rock, a strong-tower, a constant beacon of light when all I am surrounded by is darkness.  If you have ever been plunged into darkness, you can truly appreciate the constant light He gleams.

You see, even in the darkness, when our world seems like the bottom is dropping out from under us, God remains unchanged – He is constant. No matter what changes we are experiencing (divorce, death of a loved one, chronic pain, broken heart), God remains the same. I have clutched tightly to this truth when my world has seemingly fallen apart time after time. Because even through my tears and many broken hearts, He remains constant. Think about that for a second – His love, His forgiveness, His mercy, His Truth is not dependent on our circumstances, screw-ups, our tears, our brokenness. Our God remains the SAME, no matter what!

I said, “I am falling”; but your constant love, O LORD, held me up. (‭Psalms‬ ‭94‬:‭18‬ GNBDK)

As God remains the same, so does who we are IN Him.  We are loved, and that hand He provides us to keep us from falling will always be there.  Once we believe in who Jesus is and in His death and resurrection, that never changes. NEVER.  “The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8).  We will forever be His and He will forever love us and never leave us, no matter what we do or may be enduring.  Not only that, but God is calling us to not give in to fear or discouragement in the midst of our cyclonic lives. Why? Because when we allow ourselves to be caught up in fear and disappointment, our eyes are focused on the wrong things.  We are fixing our eyes on the storm, instead of on the One who provides the shelter from that very storm.  He’s the only one who is constantly there and never leaves our side, even as the storm rages right outside His arms.

Your constant love is my guide; your faithfulness always leads me. (‭Psalms‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ GNBDK)

February 23rd, 2017
This morning during my devotional time, God spoke some verses to my heart. They came slowly at first, than at such a feverish pace that I could barely keep up as I scribbled them down. As I continued to hear these verses being whispered over me, I started to notice a constant theme. At first glance, all the verses were about storms, trials, even war and death. It seemed apparent to me that my God is preparing me for an upcoming storm and one of potentially great magnitude. But as I really stopped to focus on each verse, they were actually filled with hope, perseverance and the absolute need to be reliant on my Jesus. My circumstances may drastically change sometime soon, yet God won’t – He remains the same. The SAME. He gave me that sweet time with Him this morning to remind me of that – He would even part the waters of the Jordan for me. And He would even do that for you. His character is constant and it isn’t reliant on our circumstances – that’s OUR point of view that is changing constantly, sometimes at warp speed. But Jesus, sweet Jesus, loves us enough to never budge from our side. He will never waver. He will never leave us. And He will always love us. Those are the constant reminders He branded into my weary heart this morning, and I am so grateful that He loves me enough to prepare my heart for whatever is in store.

The very next day after I received those verses, I awoke in the midst of a new, pain-filled storm.  Did you hear that?  The NEXT DAY.  New pain has propelled me from the comfort of my previously known aches, into unknown, new agony. I gotta say – I don’t like it. We get accustomed to our hurts and our pains, don’t we? Yet when that pain is tweaked and amped to a higher level, our mind scrambles to adjust. So I am doing just that.  I am letting my mind and heart adjust – letting it adjust to my constant beacon of light in the midst of my darkening pain.  I am adjusting my hopes, my fears, my reliance and turning it all over to the One who never changes.  And if it takes a storm to change my viewpoint, then Jesus, bring the rain, because I would rather be sold-out for you than be comfortable here.  Comfort is over-rated, if that is what keeps me from seeing the solid rock, never-changing characteristics of my God.  In the arms of my Savior, amidst my raging storm, is where my heart would rather be anyway.

Your constant love is better than life itself, and so I will praise you. (‭Psalms‬ ‭63‬:‭3‬ GNBDK)

My sweet Jesus, You know the pain I am in today and the things that are breaking my heart. Many times, I too quickly ask you to remove the pain, to remove the raging storm so I can see, yet You have shown me that even in the storm, I CAN see.  You have shown me that it was my fear and discouragement that was clouding my view, not the clouds.  Thank you for opening my eyes to see Your constant light and for opening my heart to my deep need for You.  Your constant help and constant love are all I need to thrive in this cyclonic world.  I thank you that You are constant and that my heart’s roaming ways are not.  Please reveal your constant nature to us and give us eyes to see its truth. It is in your precious, constant name I pray.  Amen.

Jodi