When change comes your way

Hennie Symington

Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: and Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel: that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. Jos. 4:4-7

If only we’d stayed in Egypt!

Change is not piece of cake. It’s not something that comes easily to us. Even the Israelites on their exodus from Egypt had second thoughts. Uprooting a nation from the place they’d stayed in for generations was no easy task. At least in Egypt they knew what to expect even if it meant enduring immense hardship and slavery.

Change makes us uncertain

On their journey through the desert the Israelites often lost their perspective. Time and again they were overwhelmed by the problems they encountered the hankered after the fleshpots of Egypt forgetting about the promise of freedom in a land of the proverbial milk and honey.

Change is inevitable

No-one can escape change but when you feel you can’t cope with change, share your concerns with God. The Hebrews certainly did! They expressed their complaints in no uncertain terms! God hears them and deals with their most pressing needs by sending them manna and quails to eat. In the same way God is with you in every change and upheaval in your life leading you to the Promised Land.

Beacons on the way  

We have all come through changes in our lives and have the battle scars to prove it. Like Joshua, honour these victories in your life by erecting beacons as a reminder of the hardships you’ve endured and to remind future generations that with God’s help you’ve overcome change and entered the “promised land”.

Prayer for today

Lord, change brings uncertainty in our lives. Yet we know that change is inevitable. Thank you for being there every step of the way until I can say: with God’s help I made it through. Amen