The ancient philosopher Heraclitus said, ″No man ever steps in the same river twice for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.″ Subsequent Greek philosophers made the same observation that everything on earth is constantly changing. This worried them, so several concluded there must be a heavenly, eternal realm that doesn't change at all. Only this higher, static world can give meaning to our unstable world of flux.

These Greek ideas influenced how many medieval Christians read Malachi 3:6, ″I the Lord do not change.″ They surmised that because God exists in the heavenly realm, He must not change in any way. God exists in immutable, blissful self-contemplation. He does not act in time, because that would be a change. Earthly people may change in relation to Him, but God himself never moves.

Contemporary theologians note that this interpretation seems to view God as dead. If God never acts, how is He alive? They also rightly say this isn't the God of Scripture. God promises to return to His people who return to Him (Malachi 3:7). This sounds like a God on the move.

So what does God mean when He declares, ″I the Lord do not change″? What is it that doesn't change? His nature. God's actions change precisely because His nature doesn't. God is both righteous and compassionate, so He sends the prophet Jonah to warn Nineveh that He will destroy them unless they repent. When they listen to Jonah and do repent, it's that same righteous and compassionate nature that causes God to relent and spare them (Jonah 1:2; 3:10). God is free to change course because His character remains constant.

God's character is unchangingly faithful. He is faithful because He is the powerful ″Lord Almighty″ (Malachi 3:7). We've seen this name a lot in Haggai and Malachi. It occurs in Malachi 55 times, nearly half of its use in the entire Old Testament. Judah had no army, so God repeatedly tells them that He is the ″Lord Almighty″ which means ″Yahweh of Armies.″ Heaven's armies are on their side.

God is also faithful because He is love. It is because of His unchanging love that ″you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed″ (v. 6). He stands ready to receive us the moment we repent. ″'Return to me, and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty″ (v. 7).

Are you stuck because you have turned away from God? Or has the situation you're stuck in pushed you further away? Your life may have changed dramatically, but one thing hasn't. God's faithful character cannot change. He is as powerful and loving today as He's ever been. The Greeks got something right. Our world of flux is frightening. We need someone as solid and unchanging as a rock. You've got one. Run to Him.