20 days devotional on change (Days 1-5)
By Larry Platner
Find the first week of our 20 daily devotionals all around the subject of change. Read them through Monday to Friday. Enjoy!
If you look back at your life can you think of a year or even a period of several months when you didn’t experience a significant change of some sort? Change is normal, some we choose, some we do not. Learning how to navigate change well is vitally important to our well being.
Change whether by choice or not involves loss: loss of friends, family members through moves or death, a job, a home, health, status, finances, favourite places, possessions, security, comfort, direction, purpose and more. Such loss makes us dread, even resist change. We like our routines, knowing what to expect. It gives us a sense of safety.
Consider the changes that Jesus experienced in his incarnation. He left the presence of his Father, gave up divine privileges, took on the form of a human, submitted himself to living among a sinful people, enduring rejection, injustice, mockery and betrayal. There is no loss that we experience that Jesus hasn’t himself gone through.
The disciples were not expecting the death of Jesus. His death sent them reeling and fleeing into hiding. It was an unexpected and unwanted derailing of their hopes and plans. However, after death there was resurrection, a new beginning. This drastic change was necessary to bring a new way of life that was more glorious and fulfilling.
Elijah felt he was a failure, yet God didn’t see it that way. He had new beginnings in mind, a new king and a new prophet, the continuation of His trajectory to a new Israel.