Spring, Spurgeon, and the Steady Heart of God

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Spring has always been my favorite season… it is so hopeful.

Life is spring’s theme. And I love that.

I love the rain that turns the brown grass green again. I love seeing the trees come alive after their winter’s rest and seeing flowers bloom once again.

This spring, however, I have found it hard to be hopeful.

This spring has been historic in many ways. The rise of the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly shaped this year for the entire world. This spring has been a spring of loss, pain and uncertainty for many people, me included. The virus affected me on personal levels when I lost my job and when a doctor told me I most likely had the virus along with 3 other family members.

I can’t help but feel a little cheated that my favorite season of life and hope has been marked this year by loss and uncertainty.

But as I sat outside on my front porch today, I realized that some things never change.

The cold rain still fell on my hands, reminding me how lucky I am to be able to feel things again.

The thunder still roared. The trees still burst into all shades of green. The clouds may linger today, but I know I’ll see the sun again soon. These things haven’t changed.

And most importantly, I am comforted by my God who never ever changes.

In all my failures, doubts, uncertainties and sins, God never changes. He is steady for me when little else is.

The big nerdy theological word for this is immutability. I’m so thankful that such a lofty-sounding theological term is really a precious, comforting, and accessible truth about my God!

On January 7th, 1855, Charles Spurgeon delivered a sermon on this very topic. He offers some incredible insight about the unchanging character of God that I found encouraging.

“He is unchanged in his wisdom, he knows as much now as ever, neither more nor less; he has the same consummate skill, and the same infinite forecastings. He is unchanged, blessed be his name, in his justice. just and holy was he in the past; just and holy is he now. He is unchanged in his truth; he has promised, and he brings it to pass; he hath saith it, and it shall be done. He varies not in the goodness, and generosity, and benevolence of his nature. He is not become an Almighty tyrant, whereas he was once an Almighty Father; but his strong love stands like a granite rock, unmoved by the hurricanes of our iniquity. And blessed be his dear name, he is unchanged in his love. When he first wrote the covenant, how full his heart was with affection to his people.”
-Charles Spurgeon

After discussing further the unchanging character of God, Spurgeon concluded his sermon with this plea to his congregation.

“Remember God is the same, whatever is removed. Your friends may be disaffected, your ministers may be taken away, every thing may change, but God does not. Your brethren may change and cast out your name as vile: but God will love you still. Let your station in life change, and your property be gone; let your whole life be shaken, and you become weak and sickly; let everything flee away-there is one place where change cannot put his finger; there is one name on which mutability can never be written; there is one heart which never can alter; that heart is God’s-that name Love.”
-Charles Spurgeon

The same truths that comforted Charles Spurgeon are a comfort to me today.

Even if everything around me is uncertain, I can be certain of this. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

If my hope is in Him, I will never be disappointed.

Spring is still a season of life. The rain still falls. The grass turns green again. The trees are alive.

And my God is still good.

-Alathia

blueletterbible.org
C. H. Spurgeon :: The Immutability of God
A Sermon(No. 1)Delivered on Sabbath Morning, January 7th, 1855, by the REV. C.H. SPURGEON