Stability in an Unstable World :: By Steven Pace
“Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure” (Isaiah 33:6 NKJV).
An Unstable World
Over the past several decades, our world has made many advancements, which has led many to assume that we have achieved some level of stability. Unfortunately, when we look around us each day, what we find is that we live in an unstable world. Some of this can be found in the areas of politics, economic uncertainties, social unrest, as well as countless health emergencies.
As followers of Jesus, the Lord does not want us to feel the anxiety that is produced by living in an unstable world. Rather, the Lord provides us with many reasons to have hope and true stability until the Lord returns. The sources of stability will not be found in the places we typically look.
So where can the believer turn each day to find stability?
Yesterday, Today, and Forever
The letter to the Hebrews could be summarized simply as Jesus is better. He is better than the angels, Moses, the priesthood, and even the Levitical sacrifices.
After spending the majority of 12 chapters proclaiming the superiority of Christ, he reminds us in Hebrews 13:8 that Jesus is changeless.[1] When we use the term changeless, this is referring to the attribute of Jesus called immutability. Immutability means that “God cannot and does not change.” [2]
The author beautifully expresses the meaning by reminding us that Jesus is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” Jesus will never change in his nature or character.
The same loving and compassionate Lord from yesterday is the same one today, tomorrow, and forever. What a hope we have in Christ Jesus our Lord!
“The Christian is in a world of change. The social structure of the first century A.D. saw mighty changes. Jerusalem was conquered and the Temple destroyed. Our generation has been threatened with extinction by missiles, which can bring instant destruction to millions. Is there anything that is eternally the same? The Christian answers, “Jesus Christ.” His kingdom cannot be moved. He is the foundation on which to build, a rock which will remain firm when the shifting sands of earth have proved a false hope.”[3]
What Does Not Wither
If there was ever a verse that told how transient the things of this world are, Isaiah 40:7 is it. In this chapter, the prophet Isaiah is looking to comfort the remnant of people who are in Babylonian exile. For example, in Isaiah 40:1-2, the Lord reminds them that, even though they are in sin, He still loves them. The Lord also reminds them that the captivity of the nation by foreigners will not last forever. Nations and rulers were like flowers and grass in that their time was temporary.
“Like the grass, nations and their leaders fulfill their purposes and then fade away, but the Word of God abides forever.”[4]
Followers of the Lord can find hope in the Bible because it will endure forever. Unlike flowers, grass, and even leaders, the Word of the Lord is everlasting.[5] Just like the exiled Israelites, we can trust and rely on God’s Word every day as a source of truth, instruction, and encouragement.
“Only the Word of God abides forever. In this eternal, unchanging, and promise-keeping God, Israel can put absolute trust.”[6]
Stability for the Lord’s People
So where can the believer turn each day to find stability?
The source of stability will not be found in the places we typically look but rather in the Lord and His Word.
It is there that we find stability because neither change nor will ever fade away. My prayer is that this is true for you.
Blessings,
Dr. Steven F. Pace
Senior Pastor
Decatur Bible Church
https://www.decaturbible.org/
https://www.decaturbible.org/pages/pastors-page
https://www.youtube.com/@decaturbiblechurch1879
Sources:
[1] See also Hebrews 1:12, Psalm 90:2, and 102:27.
[2] The Moody Handbook of Theology, pg. 637.
[3] Charles F. Pfeiffer. The Epistle to the Hebrews – Moody, pg. 119.
[4] The Bible Exposition Commentary – Isaiah – Malachi. Warren Wiersbe.
[5] See also Psalm 119:89-91, Matthew 5:18, and John 10:35.
[6] Victor Buksbazen. The Prophet Isaiah – Friends of Israel, pg. 333.
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