God's Promises for Transitions

Transitions are hard! And honestly, most people hate them. They take effort and intentionality, and patience, and all of the other emotions and characteristics many of us struggle to show.

If you want to see an example of how much humans hate to do transitions just look no father than road intersections. Give us a basic 2 way stop sign and most of us are okay. But once you start adding craziness like 4 way stops, yields, merge lefts, and the dreaded roundabout many people are powerless and stuck scratching their heads for answers!

But the fact remains that we all have to deal with transitions sometimes- and today marks part of an important transitions for our church as we begin transitioning back into the Sanctuary for worship while dealing with COVID 19. So, God laid it on my heart to lead our church in a study of some of the promises of God throughout June and July, and it made a ton of sense to look at promises for times of transition today. So, today we will look at four promises God makes to those in times of transition today.

God is always with you

Consider the words that God uttered to Isaiah the prophet in Isa 43:2 “ When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you”

God never shies away from transition in our lives- he is quite clear; we will go through fire and we will pass through water- but he is with us.

There is a story of a boy who was flying his kite very high, so high it could not be seen. A man asked him, “How do you know your kite is up there?” The boy replied, “Every once in a while, I feel a tug on my string and I know the kite is still there.” We cannot see God, but every once in a while, I feel His tug on my heart and I know He is there.

How nice it would be to have billboards for God alongside the road of life. We beg God to signs and wonders- to show us that he is with us that he is there; that he is listening. But friends, just because we cannot see God, and even though in the moment we may not even feel God- that does not mean that his presence is not with us. Many Christians love Psalm 139- we wave it like a banner over abortion- we use it to remind us how deep God’s purposes are for us. But the foundation of Psalm 139 is the presence of God- that no matter where we find ourselves God is with us.

Some people have a vision of God like a parent who drops their kid off for school. That God pulls up to the front sidewalk of your life and sends you off for a time, and he will be back later to get you or to check on you- not our God. God does not pull up to your new job, or your new house, or your new situation and drop you off- pulling off on the horizon yelling “Ill be back later!” We have a God that puts his hands on our shoulders and walks into the transition with us--- every step of the way...

Even When Life Changes- God Does Not!

Part of the challenge of transitions is the change. When we transition from one thing to the next many times the next thing is the unknown thing. Its a new job with responsibilities that we have not done before, or for a company full of people we do not know. It is a new house in a new neighborhood with new issues and people. New means unexpected, but we serve a unchanging God.

James 1:17 tells us that there is no variance or shifting shadow in God- that God is always steady. Think about this for a moment- even scientific processes and computer programming- two things that are supposed to be the most specific and intricate practices make allotments for variances and anomalies. Even when they say “sciences proves” they willingly admit that the science sometimes does not add up- but that is not our God! Our God does not change and there is no variance. There is no need to say “just in-case God changes.”

You know, I like a little variance in my life- to switch things up. I remember when I worked at DQ there were people that came in and ate lunch there EVERY DAY many of them got the exact same order EVERY DAY. Jessica will tell you that once I have had a meal 2 times in a row, I am ready to change it up. Also, I am glad that there are multiple routes from my house to the church or my house to RMH because I like to switch up my scenery- so I can drive multiple ways to the places I go the most.

Yes, I like change in a lot of areas- food, travel, clothing… but one area I do not like change- God. I don’t know about you, but the thought of a changing God is pretty scary to me. That sometimes he would forgive me, others time not. That sometimes lying is sin and other times it’s not. That sometimes he would meet my needs, other times he would leave me hanging. That does not sound like a God I want to serve. No, I would much rather serve our King Jesus, of whom Hebrews 13:8 says “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”

Jesus is always doing something- even when we do not understand what it is!

Please hear me, friends, if we understood everything God was doing- we would not need faith. It takes no faith to walk a path that you are completely comfortable with, know everything about, and have no doubts about. The Bible never asks you to understand, the Bible asks you to have faith!

In John 13 as Jesus is washing the feet of his disciples he makes a profound statement to Peter as Peter protests Jesus’ act of service. Jesus approaches Peter and after his refusal Jesus says to him “What I am doing you do not understand, but afterward you will understand.”

Man, what an important statement, tucked inside a story of Jesus serving his friends. His admonishment to Peter, that even though you may not understand what I am doing, please let me do it stretched across the generations to the here and now, and I wonder how many of us today need to hear Jesus say- let me do what I am doing.

Can I confess to you today that I, and many of you I bet, waste a lot of time and energy trying to figure out what God is doing. Here’s the thing, there are many things about God and God’s purposes that we will never understand because they are out of our pay-grade. Isaiah 55:8-9 reminds us that God says:

English Standard Version Chapter 55

8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts

Sometimes our calling as followers of Christ is not to understand what God is doing- it is only to trust what God is doing.

Because I do not know about you, but I have been in the Peter position before, I have looked back at something God brought to me- months, even years- after it happened and go- NOW I UNDERSTAND! I now know why God did that in my life!

Jesus Will Give You Wisdom if You Ask

Can I tell you one of the biggest struggles we are having with Ethan right now? Ethan is having a hard time asking for help. He is extremely independent- which Jess and I try and raise independent kids- but his is to his determent. For example, the other night we are eating dinner and he needs a napkin, which are sitting in the middle of the table. So, what does he do? He gets up, walks all the way around the table and tries to squeeze between Aiden and Elijah’s shoulders to reach the napkin on his own- “Dude,” I ask “What are you doing?”

“Getting a napkin” “You could have just asked me to hand one to you, you know” “I know, but I wanted to do it myself.”

Sounds a lot like me and God- he clearly can help me, if I am willing to ask. Listen to James 1:5-6

English Standard Version Chapter 1

5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind

There are a lot of questions in times of transition- so many questions and unknowns, we need God’s wisdom. Notice what James tells us- God will give wisdom generously to those ask.

There are two things that unlock Godly wisdom according to this passage- humility and faith.