The Living Word, 9 February 2020
2020 is a season of change for us. A new Archbishop of the Province of SE Asia, and a new Bishop of Singapore has been elected. We have a new Associate Minister, and later this year we will welcome a new Vicar. All this change can be unsettling. Some of us are afraid of change and go to great lengths to avoid it. But change can be a good thing if we are listening to God’s voice and are sure that any change is according to His will. Even change that appears to be negative can help us grow in faith and confidence in God.
Structural change is inevitable as we see in our church the hierarchical process at work. These sort of changes we have little control over as God’s workers come to the end of their tenure. This can lead to some anxiety and concern that the new leaders will be able to continue in the same way as their predecessors. They could even be better! Their time has come, as the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (3:1f). He then goes on to list the inevitability of many events and seasons in our lives.
Changes in our family and personally can be either wonderfully good for us or very traumatic, and every possibility in between. As we begin or complete a phase in our lives such as finishing school, starting a new job, getting married, having children, losing parents, siblings and friends etc. Even moving house or being inundated with flood waters twice in a week, all these bring change of varying degrees and leave us sometimes permanently affected.
How we cope with change is in many ways what defines us. Some very negative changes such as death in the family or divorce can be so traumatic that some people never recover. Some have coping mechanisms such as turning to alcohol, drugs or illicit sex to distract themselves from the pain of reality. Others turn to binge eating or even self-harm.
Trusting God during those difficult times can sometimes appear impossible. We are quick to “Praise the Lord” when things go well, a new job or getting married. But the tough times tend to bring out the worst in us. Some people blame God for their troubles. But God promises us that he wants the best for us (“For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD…” Jeremiah 29:11-14)
When change seems to be overwhelming remember there are many passages in Scripture that can bring great comfort and remind us of God’s sovereignty. Psalm 46-God is our refuge and strength, Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, “come to me all that are weary…” We can always find strength through reading Scripture. Trust in God, he wants the best for us.
In Christ,
Alan Wood