The Gift of Constant

God is good, all the time the Lord is good.

Since the New Year, I have been reading the Bible chronologically. I have never read the whole Bible; I am guilty of camping in the New Testament and Psalms most of the time. The Old Testament scared me. I didn’t (and still don’t fully) understand all of the laws and stories.

But, as I’m crawling my way through Leviticus, there’s been a shift. I’m struck by the steadiness and consistency of God. I’m reading the truth I often preach but never take the time to process: God is the same. The Gospels’ love story – God desiring to be with us so deeply that He sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice – is the same love story as His patience and grace with the Israelites in the desert. It shows the same intentional way of God, drawing us to Himself through the life of Jesus.

I am grateful for the woven details in our lives, the reminders that God is never-changing.

The cooing of birds in the morning, the rising of the sun, and the glow of the moon. The calming drizzle of rain and the comforting smell of fresh, warm bread. My emotional response to new life being born, the slow first sips of hot coffee, and the way leaves wave as they blow in the wind. The sun’s shadows and the first warm day of spring. The leaves will always glow in autumn, and morning frost will always bring a short-lived stillness. Tears that bring the bitter sting of my humanity and the pain that always accompanies loss. The sound of loved ones’ laughter and the smell of a familiar place.

There are whispers of a constant God in this ever-changing world. In slowing down, we notice them. How sweet are these reminders. I’m finding a comfort in how far, wide, high, and long God’s vastness is, and that it never changes.

Remaining in my faith where it felt “easier,” namely in the New Testament and Psalms, was like enjoying a view with my eyes closed. The truth remains, and it is so good to hear, taste, and smell – but I’m beginning to open my eyes to new depths of God, a bigger picture.

The Lord being the same yesterday, today, and forever holds a new significance to me. I’m grateful for the consistency of the Lord. It’s not just a quality of His, but a necessity for us. He is all I need to remain constant in my life because He is good, all the time He is good.

words by Lauren Grindstaff and photo by Kailin Richardson