Immortal and Unchanging (Abide Devotion for August 22, 2016)

Psalm 102:23-28

²³ In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days.

²⁴ So I said: “Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations.

²⁵ In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.

²⁶ They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.

²⁷ But you remain the same, and your years will never end.

²⁸ The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.” ^[1]

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What struck me in this psalm today was the emphasis on the Lord’s unchanging eternity.  His years “go on through all generations.”  He was there in the beginning, and unlike all other things that perish, He will remain.  His “years will never end.”

Is this good news or bad news?  In and of itself, the fact that the deity is eternal and unchanging is not necessarily good news.  After all, what if the god was evil or capricious or uninterested in our lives and needs?  This was the case in many of the world’s ancient religions.  The immortality of the gods was not necessarily good news.

But in the case of the true God, it is the best news.   God is a God of grace and mercy.  His compassion and love are eternal and unchanging.  We don’t need to worry about God changing His mind regarding His character or His promises.  And so we, as His children, can live with confidence that “we will live in your presence” and “be established before you.”

In a rapidly changing world, with so much uncertainty about the future, it is comforting to rest on this truth: “But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”

So my prayer today is a prayer of thanksgiving, but also for faith to find comfort and hope in God’s unchanging love.

 

What is the Word leading you to pray about today?

 

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^[1] The New International Version. (2011). (Ps 102:23–28). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.