Unchanging

"...And what kind of salad dressing would you like with that, ma'am?" the waitress asks.
"Um...I don't know," replies Isabel, "How about Thousand Island...No, Ranch."
"Ranch it is." The waitress scribbles it down and turns to go.
"Actually, could I change that to Italian?"
"Sure."
"Do you think Italian sounds good," Isabel asks her friend, "or should I go for Caesar? Well, maybe I want Balsamic Vinaigrette...or Shawano...or perhaps just a little lemon juice..."

This week, I've been studying God's attribute of immutabilitiy. Unlike Indecisive Isabel, He never changes.

Of old You laid the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the work of Your hands.
They will perish, but You will endure;
Yes, they will all grow old like a garment;
Like a cloak they will be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will have no end.
-Psalm 102:25-27

God does not change from day to day. What was true of Him yesterday is no different today. Nothing I, or anyone else, can do will change who He is. He is unalterable. He is God, "...with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).

Yesterday, today, and forever
You are the same, You never change.
Yesterday, today, and forever
You are faithful and I will trust in You.

Can you imagine what it would be like if God were always changing--like Indecisive Isabel? We couldn't be assured of anything. Laws like gravity and mathematics could vanish. His mercy might not endure forever. Truth would be meaningless. We could never be certain of salvation. Other attributes of God could change as well: He might no longer be loving, or patient, or omnipotent, or even good.
"A little reflection like this," writes Wayne Grudem in his book, Systematic Theology, "shows how absolutely important the doctrine of God's unchangeableness is. If God is not unchanging, then the whole basis of our faith begins to fall apart, and our understanding of the universe begins to unravel. This is because our faith and hope and knowledge are ultimately depend on a person who is infinitely worthy of trust--because he is absolutely and eternally unchanging in his being, perfections, purposes, and promises."
"For I am the LORD, I do not change..." (Malachi 3:6)