For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)
Happy Fall Time-Change Day! Welcome back to Standard Time!
As I write this, I’m watching the wind dance with the few leaves still clinging to the trees this late in the fall. In a few weeks—or after a couple of strong rain and windstorms—the color and dance of the deciduous leaves will become just another seasonal memory, replaced by piles of leaves on the ground waiting to be cleaned up. But today, the position of the early-November sun reflects off those leaves and gives them a once-a-year glow. Fall in our area is beautiful: green leaves turn to yellow, orange, red, and brown, signifying the shift from the growing season to the season of dormancy.
Much of this fall has been filled with changes in my life. Our youngest children have successfully navigated the process and are now licensed drivers. My role as home educator has changed to mostly overseer, not hands-on teacher. Other changes in relationships, activities, and focus remind us that “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Or, as the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (1:9 NIV)
If I were to survey any group of people, I imagine most would say that something in their lives is changing right now. Change is inevitable. We can embrace it, resist it, or try to find a middle ground—but it will come either way.
And perhaps that’s actually reassuring. Autumn reminds us that trees and plants are dying back, yes—but winter’s rest makes way for renewed growth and vitality in the spring. It gives us something to look forward to.
No matter what season of life you are in, things will change. When? How? Into what? I can’t answer those questions. But change will happen. Still, in the midst of all of it, we should remind ourselves of God’s faithfulness. In the midst of all the things that are changing, God is faithful – never leaving us, never ignoring us, never giving up on us. The future he calls us to has abundance, hope, and purpose.
So, today, let us rejoice in the faithfulness of our God.
Yahweh, our Sovereign God, your glory streams from the heavens above, filling the earth with the majesty of your name! When we look at the splendor of your skies—your creative genius glowing in the heavens—when we gaze at your moon and stars, mounted like jewels in their settings, we know you are the fascinating artist who fashioned it all!
Thank you for the beauty of your creation and for the beauty in our individual lives. Thank you for being our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of change. When we struggle with anxiety, fear, or worry about changes in our lives or in our world, help us to breathe deeply, focus on your presence, and be reminded that you alone are ultimately in charge of this world. When we are confused or don’t understand the circumstances or the “why” of something, remind us of your faithfulness in times past and your promises for us. Help us remember that you have good plans for our hope-filled future.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. You are trustworthy in all you promise and faithful in all you do. We give you praise, honor, and glory, and ask these things in Jesus’s name. AMEN.
Yahweh, our Sovereign God,
your glory streams from the heavens above,
filling the earth with the majesty of your name!
People everywhere see your splendor.
You have built a stronghold by the songs of children.
Strength rises up with the chorus of infants.
This kind of praise has power to shut Satan’s mouth.
Childlike worship will silence
the madness of those who oppose you.
Look at the splendor of your skies,
your creative genius glowing in the heavens.
When I gaze at your moon and your stars,
mounted like jewels in their settings,
I know you are the fascinating artist who fashioned it all!
But I have to ask this question:
Why would you bother with puny, mortal man
or care about human beings?
Yet what honor you have given to men,
created only a little lower than Elohim,
crowned with glory and magnificence.
You have delegated to them
rulership over all you have made,
with everything under their authority,
placing earth itself under the feet of your image-bearers.
All the created order and every living thing
of the earth, sky, and sea—
the wildest beasts and all that move in the paths of the sea —
everything is in submission to Adam’s sons.
Yahweh, our Sovereign God,
your glory streams from the heavens above,
filling the earth with the majesty of your name!
People everywhere see your splendor! (Psalm 8 TPT)
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. (Psalm 46:1-2 NIV)
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. (Psalm 145:13 NIV)