“Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89).
The Lord’s immutability is good news for women claiming comfort and encouragement, and the Psalms remind us of this truth multiple times (Ps. 33:11, Ps. 18:2, Ps. 102:27, just to name a few more).
So much in life is unpredictable, ourselves included. The female body is broken by childbirth, not to mention the regular toil of a job and effects of aging. Children move on to school or marriage, leaving an empty nest. Friends get married and either move away or start doing things in pairs, causing the single friend to feel left out. The care of aging parents is an honor and a heavy burden, especially if a woman is simultaneously wrestling with a diagnosis, the breakdown of a marriage, or just the general fatigue of getting older. Retirement brings with it a longing for renewed purpose, although as we have seen above, God always has a purpose for his people: to praise him and share him with others.
When faced with distressing adjustments, or even good change (like marriage, becoming a parent, or getting a new job), we need a foundation. When all the adjustments of life make us feel as though we are standing on a moving floor in an airport, we yearn for something – or someone – that does not change; an anchor.
“God is never the subject of external forces” (James 1:17). Circumstances don’t dictate who he is or what he does. Everything God does is determined by his immutable will. His reaction (if we can call it that) to events is always the expression of his immutable character,” says Lucky Mogakane.
Why is this good news for women? Because the God who said Christ’s blood was sufficient payment for our sins, and that we are saved by our faith in his salvific work, will not change his mind. It means that the God who said we are called sons and daughters (Romans 8:16) will not disown us. People will leave us, we will become bent with age, we will sin and cause pain to others, but when we confess and repent, God is gracious to forgive (1 John 1:9).
A woman in Christ can trust that even if someone in her life holds a grudge or fails to do the right thing by her, God will forgive, he will remain, and he will love her in and through his unchanging, immeasurable power and grace.
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