Exodus 16, Revelation 21:5

Chris Mountford on the importance of accepting the changes God brings.

Chris Mountford

It's been said that, 'change is inevitable'. It's also been said, 'change is inevitable, except from a vending machine'!

Life is full of change.

I see changes, shifts and new things all around in so many different ways and circumstances.

Here at Cross Rhythms there's been all sorts of change, not least in terms of getting to grips with how we reach a new generation of young people online through xRhythms. Our community radio station here in Stoke-on-Trent has been impacting people in our community for over 17 years now and, over time, we have changed and developed new ways to do this.

Change presents new challenges and new opportunities.

It strikes me that our Heavenly Father is a God of the new. In the Bible, from beginning to end, we find that while God is the same, an unchanging constant, He's always doing new things.

At the start, we read about the new things God was doing in creating the heavens and earth. But there are then so many more accounts of the new things that God was doing through different people and with each new generation.

Importantly, something new was accomplished through Jesus Christ, a new agreement between God and man, of sins forgiven and peace, blessing and everlasting life.

Now I don't believe that God is the author of every change, or every new thing that happens in our life. There are things that happen as a result of sin, bad choices, or even the work of Satan. However, God is often doing a new thing and when He does, we should embrace the new.

Embracing the new that God wants to do is so important.

When God told Abram to move to a new land, he had to embrace it and make the choice to move. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was going to become pregnant with God's son, she had to embrace the new, not least a growing tummy! When Saul encountered God, he had to embrace a new life completely at odds with before.

A new opportunity and a new challenge can be exciting, but it can also be daunting. And the way you react to new situations can vary greatly; you may relish it, or you may be feel overwhelmed.

I was recently drawn to a few verses in Exodus 16 and the story of the Israelites' miraculous escape from Egypt. It wasn't long before they began to complain about the lack of food on their journey, and some even longed to go back into captivity because it appealed to their stomachs more. Can you believe it?! In the midst of God doing something new and incredible with them, their minds wandered and they complained.

They weren't fully embracing the new. They felt torn in two directions.

If you feel like you are being led by God into a new season in life, it is ok to have doubts or questions. I encourage you to bring them before God, because He hears our prayers.

In His grace, God heard the complaints of the Israelites and they were supernaturally provided with food in a desert.

In turn, may God lead you and provide you with an answer, or an amazing solution.

Embrace the new!

'Then the One sitting on the throne said, "See! I am making all things new. Write, for these words are true and faithful."' (Revelation 21:5).