Devotionals

Places of Permanency

by Jennifer Woodley 
09/06/19
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‘As Moses and Elijah were about to return to heaven, Peter impetuously blurted out, “Master, this is amazing to see the three of you together! Why don’t we stay here and set up three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah?”’ Luke 9:33 (NRSV)

There is a yearning within people to make life safe, secure and permanent. We might say, “This is how it is to be always” and we nestle in, settle down and get comfortable. Peter wanted to do it, just as we do too.

But we ought to know better: God doesn't work that way. He takes us on a journey of change and transformation. God is about shaping and growing us into someone new. Someone different. We dare not settle ourselves into places of permanency where we stagnate, for God will soon be moving us on again.

We change jobs, homes, locations, acquaintances, desires, interests, lifestyles and circumstances. God’s desire to transform us is unchanging, but the way He does that is always changing.

Like Peter, we may want to stay where God has placed us right now. But His intention is that we hold all things in our lives lightly and discover how He is using them to develop Christ-like character within us. Where do we sense God wanting to move us into something new? Are we resisting change? Why is this? Let’s reflect with our Father on the way He wants to transform us and ask for faith and courage to move into new places with Him.

‘Heavenly Father, forgive me for trying to create places of permanency and resisting the growing spaces so that Christ’s character can be formed in me. Amen.’