All change?

I was running along a track lined with silver birch trees. The low autumn sunshine was gently breaking through onto the path ahead, as their browning leaves fell around me in the cool, crisp breeze.

It finally felt as though autumn had arrived. 

After the long, hot and dry summer, it had begun to feel as though this moment might never come. But thankfully, the season had changed, and it was a welcome reminder that the wider world changes too.

My autumn run happened to be on the same day that the US mid-term election results were being announced, bringing a change in the balance of political power in the American government. The election results, alongside the falling autumn leaves, reminded me that change is inevitable. Even things that seem permanent, or lie beyond our sphere of influence, can and do change.

One of the most common responses I hear when asking people what they would like me to pray about is simply, 'the world'. In those two words, there is a recognition of the chaos, conflict and uncertainty across the globe, and perhaps a sense that we are living through a particularly turbulent time.

When we journey through uncertain seasons that are beyond our control, it can feel as though they go on for a long time. Like a long, hot summer, we may find ourselves wondering: when will this end?

This sense of waiting and uncertainty is echoed in Psalm 102, a lament attributed to an afflicted person. Although the writer speaks of their own personal struggles, the Psalm also expresses a wider lament about life, its fragility and its passing (vv. 1–11). The writer then turns to reflect on God's rule throughout time (vv. 12–22), before finishing with a focus on God's permanence, both throughout and beyond time itself (vv. 23–28).

Daniel, a later Old Testament character who lived in exile in Babylon, also reflects on God's presence and continuing work through changing times, seasons and those in authority.

After receiving revelation about Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon's dream, Daniel praises God:

During the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven and said:

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others."

— Daniel 2:19–21a

As Christians looking back at the words of this Psalm and Daniel, we have the benefit of a much longer view of God's work. We can join more of the dots, recognising God's permanent presence and activity throughout history: from creation, with the Spirit hovering over the waters, through the story of his people, and right up to this present day. We can even look forward to the promise of the new heavens and the new earth.

I find the challenge is to be patient in the present, just as the afflicted writer of Psalm  102, Daniel and so many others have had to be patient as they waited on the Lord.

'Waiting patiently for the Lord' is a phrase repeated elsewhere in the Psalms. It expresses an active posture of hopeful trust in God, rather than despairing, becoming passive or engaging in frantic, anxious activity. It is about continuing to trust, pray and live faithfully, even when we cannot yet see what God is doing.

This is a challenge for me. But in the uncertainty of the world around us, I believe it is also an opportunity to speak of a different kind of hope: a hope shaped by God, Father, Son and Spirit, who has always been present and at work.

This should give us hope as we look at the uncertainty across the globe. Not because we can predict how events will unfold, or because we can control what happens, but because our confidence rests in the God who remains faithful through every changing season.

So, as we enjoy the changing seasons of autumn and soon winter, may they remind us of God's continuing presence and often hidden work. And may we learn to wait patiently and prayerfully for the Lord, remaining hopeful and attentive to those moments when we catch glimpses of him bringing new life in the midst of the turbulence of the present.

Sam Abramian

Director, East of England