Yesterday was October, and today is November. In one swift movement of time, literally overnight, our decorations, anticipations and calendars have changed. Scary ghosts are exchanged for felt turkeys. Candy wrappers are traded in for cranberry sauce. The scent of smoke machines gives way to the crisp smell of apple cider. Change doesn’t often come quite as evidently or as fondly, as this turn of seasons from Halloween to Thanksgiving.
Sometimes change is subtle and takes months, while other times it is abrupt and harsh. We are guaranteed change in life. Our jobs, homes, expectations, dreams, children, spouses and interests can change more swiftly and as unbeknownst as a ship in the night.
Almost two years ago a wave of change crashed against my own little tugboat. I graduated college, accepted an amazing Art Director position, moved towns to a single-bedroom apartment and began searching for a new church all within one month. As I learned to adjust to all of this change, I battled countless insecurities and lonely nights.
The Lord directed me to a Scripture passage that was seemingly irrelevant to my situation… that is until I read with the Spirit’s eyes. The King James Version of Matthew 5:18 reads, “For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
I stepped back and examined my life. So much had come and passed away. Heartache and joy alike had taken turns in the forefront of my life for months now. I had convinced myself to become content with a life of expectant change and inconsistency. But through this passage, God realigned me with a truth I had been so quick to forget – God’s Word never changes.
In the passage, the words “jot” and “tittle” are used. Being the typography nerd that I am, I did not miss the importance of these words. A “jot” is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet while the “tittle” is an accent mark above a letter (like the dot on an “i”). You see, even the slightest of these shall not be changed in God’s Holy Scriptures until the day they are fulfilled in the end!
You may be asking, “How does this relate to me?” I’m glad you asked. Beloved, when you change jobs and wonder how you’ll make ends meet; when you lose a loved one and wonder how your heart will ever beat the same again; when you move towns, states or even countries and wonder how you’ll ever recreate normal life; when you face sin, a struggle or pain and wonder if life is worth it… cling to God’s Holy Word.
It is a lamp for your feet, a light for your path (Psalm 119:105), the shield to extinguish the Enemy’s fiery arrows (Eph. 6:16), the profitable source of knowledge (2 Tim. 3:16), the encourager (Rom. 15:4), the piercer of souls (Heb. 4:12), the incorruptible well of guidance (Deut. 4:2), the telltale seed (Luke 8:11), the good news (1 Peter 1:25) and so much more. Blow off the dust of passivity and self-consummation and pick up that blessed arrangement of history, poetry and prophecy.
Through it, we yield, yet are subject to, the almighty power of God. Change will come and go, but the Word of God will stand forever (Isa. 40:8).