GOD IS STILL GOD. . .EVEN. . .!#2

"I, the Lord, do not change!" (Malachi 3:6). God IS God, independent of anyone's situation, belief, experience, argument or circumstance. God is not God only when good things are happening; He doesn't cease to be God when bad things happen. God is still God both in the good times and bad ones. He is still God when you are on the mountain of blessing and victory, and He remains God when you are in the valley of need, pain and disappointment. (If you have not already, I do strongly urge you to read last week's blog for continuity!)

God is still God when you are comfortable and when you are uncomfortable. When you have an abundance, and when you don't. He is still God. He is God when you are beside the "still waters" (Psalm 23:2), and when you are in a "dry and thirsty land" (Psalm 63:1). He is God when your path is flooded with light, and He is still God when you are walking in that dark "valley of the shadow of death" (Psalm 23:4). He is God when "your cup runs over" (Psalm 23:5), and He is still God when your cup is empty. God is always God no matter what goes down, goes up or happens to you or anyone else!

This thought may be a surprise to some, but walking with God through life is not always a joyous experience. We live in a fallen and very broken world, a hostile culture ruled by satan; things are not perfect! Sometimes bad things happen to good people and at times good things happen to bad people. Many people are greatly bothered by this fact; they consider it truly "unfair". King Solomon of Israel felt the same way as he expressed, "There is something else that happens on earth that does not seem fair. Bad things should happen to bad people, and good things should happen to good people. But sometimes bad things happen to good people, and good things happen to bad people. This is unfair". (Ecclesiastes 8:14 - Easy To Read Translation).

The truth is that in this life here on earth, we will not understand the WHYS of everything that happens. The man named Job in the Bible had such an experience during his severe trials. The Bible tells us that he lived uprightly, feared or worshipped God and shunned evil (Job 1:1). Even God testified the same about Job (Job 1:8; and 2:3). Of course Job sought to know why he suffered all that happened to him, but God was silent for a long time. His friends and even his wife, who should have been a comfort and a blessing to him, attributed his trial to his sins and God's punishment of him. NEITHER WAS THE CASE! God eventually broke His silence, but He didn't answer Job's questions. Instead God asked him a series of questions Job could not answer. His humble reply to God was: "I know that You can do all things and that no plan of Yours can be ruined. You asked, 'Who is this that made my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand: I talked of things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:2-3 - The New Century Translation).

Job is the example that followers of Jesus should emulate. We too must trust in God's presence, grace, provision, goodness and will, truly believing that no matter what happens, God's thoughts and plans toward us are of peace and not evil, "to give them a future and a hope" (Jeremiah 29:11).

Life is full of ups and downs and Jesus' followers are not exempted from any of life's challenges. But, we do have the blessed advantage of His constant presence with and in us to navigate life's troubles and difficulties. The Scripture says, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers out of them all" (Psalm 34:19). The people of God face life's struggles like others do, and there are times when we may, under the weight of certain circumstances, momentarily wonder if God is still God. But we must quickly repent of such wonderings!

No matter what circumstances you find yourself in as a follower of Jesus, rest assured that God is still God. Don't let the devil lead you to doubt God's existence, love, grace, power, importance, His promises, and relevance today! God is still God and He has not handed His people over to the devil to do whatever he likes with them.

Whatever you may be experiencing, good or bad, don't allow yourself to doubt that God is still God! He is no less God than He has ever been, even from eternity past! "I, the Lord, do not change" (Malachi 3:6). Jesus is God in the flesh (John 10:30) and Jesus does not change! "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). "He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelation 22:13). "This is what the Lord - King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty - says, "I am the first and I am the last; apart from Me there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6). God is always God!

Do not listen to the devil's lies. From the cradle to the grave he will try hard to convince you that God is not God! We must be like the three Hebrew boys who were threatened by the Babylonian King who demanded they worship him as god saying, "what god is there that can deliver you out of my hand?" Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied, "We do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from your Majesty's hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Daniel 3:16-18). In other words, these boys told the King that their God would always be God, regardless of any threat, or of circumstances or problem. We have His promise as well, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and when you pass through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2). Our God is the same God as the God of the three Hebrew boys!

God has said everything He meant to say and He meant everything He has said. He declared that He does not change! "God is not human, that He should lie, not a human being, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23:19). Absolutely not; HE IS ALWAYS GOD!

I know I have said it repeatedly, but GOD IS STILL GOD! How I want you to let that truth soak in and literally saturate your mind and inner spirit until you KNOW how true and trustworthy it is! God is still God no matter what! Trust that He has your best interests in His heart, even if you don't understand what is taking place! Believe that He will cause everything to work together for your good because you love Him and are called according to His very own purpose so that you are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-29).