Immutability

  God's immutability is my favorite characteristic about Him. That's really proven true this week especially. He truly has now variation or shadow of turning. He sees the end from the beginning and nothing about me is hidden from Him or shocks Him...even when I am altogether shocked or unsure of who I even am.

  As I finish Jeremiah and God boldly pronounces judgement on Edom and all the surrounding countries, I can feel my anxiety increasing. It's hard reading, but it's also such a testimony of God's holiness, of His justice, how He protects His people and how He views sin. 

It makes it easy to loose heart in the pursuit of holiness. I really am always wondering how Jeremiah and the remnant could faithfully wait for the Righteous Branch to be revealed in the midst of war and captivity and judgement. 

  Tonight's bible study had me thinking of Abraham who waited on The Lord for 24 years from the time of being called out of Ur til the time He was promised Isaac. 24 years of waiting! 24 years of believing that what God has promised, He will do.

In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with sleeping Abram. God was choosing to be the solely responsible party. He didn't expect Abraham to keep any part of this deal, God made this pact with Himself. I don't know about you, but that is seriously good news to my ears. God made a promise to bless Abraham and all he had to do was wait.

  I never quite thought of it like that. He had such adventures and mishaps in his waiting time. But God was the one at work the whole time, Abraham was just waiting. I guess that's where Jeremiah would be at. He faced war and betrayal and sadness and many years of captivity but ultimately He was just waiting. He was just clinging to those precious promises in chapters 31&32.

  That's where I find myself. Waiting.

  It feels like there's a lot on my plate, but really there isn't. I am just waiting. I'm holding on to Him and He's doing all the work. 

  I am thankful that as I am in the Word and i see Him deal with His people, I can know He wouldn't deal any less with me. As I see Him fulfill His promises in the past to His people, I can cling to Him for my future. For this evening,for Sunday morning, for a year from now and know that even if I laugh at His promise like Sarah, or fail like David or lose heart like John the Baptist, He is at work and He cannot deny who He is.

God makes a promise.

Faith believes it.

Hope anticipates it.

Patience quietly waits for it.