The world has changed, God hasn't

By Samuel Sey, Op-ed contributor Wednesday, March 02, 2022

A view of a residential building damaged by recent shelling in Kharkiv on February 26, 2022. - Russia on February 26 ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine 'from all directions' as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv imposed a blanket curfew and officials reported 198 civilian deaths. — A view of a residential building damaged by recent shelling in Kharkiv on February 26, 2022. - Russia on February 26 ordered its troops to advance in Ukraine "from all directions" as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv imposed a blanket curfew and officials reported 198 civilian deaths. | SERGEY BOBOK/AFP via Getty Images

Some of the events in our nations and around the world are tempting many of us to become anxious and afraid.

After two years of suffering from COVID, restrictions, and vaccine mandates — because of Justin Trudeau’s tyrannical actions over the last couple of weeks — many Canadians are more anxious and afraid than ever before.

Then earlier this week, Russia invaded Ukraine. The last time an invasion like that happened in Europe, it started the Second World War.

Naturally, many of us are anxious this could be the beginning of another world war.

2021 was a difficult year, but 2022 is looking like it could be an even more difficult year. Inflation is higher this year than at any point over the last 30 years, the price for food and gas is getting worse, and there is no sign our bills will get less expensive.

In Canada, the federal vaccine mandates are still in effect, and there’s no indication they will end anytime soon. Many Canadians hoped the Freedom Convoy would end all the vaccine mandates, but Trudeau’s tyrannical use of the Emergencies Act banned peaceful protests on the mandates and effectively shut down the Freedom Convoy.

Trudeau also froze bank accounts of protestors and people who donated to them, and he instructed police to arrest and detain protestors in Ottawa — including the organizer of the protest, Tamara Lich. She’s been denied bail and she faces up to 10 years in prison for organizing a peaceful protest that essentially half of Canadians sympathize with.

And significantly worse in Ukraine — millions of people are fleeing from their homes to seek asylum in neighboring countries like Moldova, Romania, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia because of Vladimir Putin’s apparent mission to restore the Soviet Union.

Ukrainian husbands, fathers, and sons have tearfully said their goodbyes to their families as they prepare to fight for their lives, families, and nation. And many vulnerable Ukrainians are forced to hide in train stations and tunnels as the Russian army attempts to take over their country.

In just a matter of weeks and days, the world has changed.

I was thinking about all of this, then I remembered what I said on New Year’s Eve a couple of months ago:

“Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Who he was in 2020 is who he is in 2021, and who he is in 2021 is who he’ll be in 2022.
New year, same God.
So don’t be anxious. Don’t be afraid.
The year won’t be the same. The world won’t be the same. People won’t be the same. But praise God, Jesus will be the same.
Our [world] will probably change for the worse again in 2022, but Jesus won’t change. So stand firm.”

The world has changed, God hasn’t.

Canada can change, Ukraine can change, the world can change, but God doesn’t change.

God is still omnipotent: there is no one on earth more powerful than Him. He is still omnipresent: He is everywhere. He can hear the cries and prayers in Canada, Russia, Ukraine, and everywhere in the world.

God is still omniscient: He knows what we need before we even ask him. He is still sovereign: He works all things — even tyranny, invasions, and wars — together for the good of those of us who are called according to His purpose.

Jesus is still faithful: He will keep His promises. He will return soon to establish the new earth and the new Heaven. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death will be no more, neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.

Jesus is still good and merciful — surely, goodness and mercy will follow us every day in 2022. Jesus is still gracious — He will forgive us of our sins.

So don’t be anxious. If you’re a Christian, Jesus is yours and you are his. “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32).

If you trust Jesus for your life after death, then you can trust him for your life before death, right? If you trust Jesus for your eternal life, when you can trust him for your life on earth, right?

This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be concerned about what’s happening. We should be praying for Vladimir Putin, Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelensky, and the rest of the world leaders.

But we shouldn’t be anxious or afraid. Our God isn’t afraid of Vladimir Putin, and he isn’t afraid of Justin Trudeau — so we shouldn’t be either.

Tyrannical and oppressive world leaders plot in vain. God isn’t afraid of them — He’s laughing at them (Psalm 2: 1-4).

So don’t be anxious. Don’t be afraid. Even in sadness over what’s happening, we can rejoice that Jesus is still king. We can rejoice that Jesus doesn’t change.

Canada doesn’t belong to Justin Trudeau. Russia and Ukraine do not belong to Putin. The earth is Jesus’ inheritance, not Putin’s.

The earth belongs to only one person: Jesus Christ. And He shares it with only one group of people: those of us who believe in him.

So don’t be afraid or anxious. The world changes, but God doesn’t change.

Originally published at Slow to Write.

Samuel Sey is a Ghanaian-Canadian who lives in Brampton, a city just outside of Toronto. He is committed to addressing racial, cultural, and political issues with biblical theology, and always attempts to be quick to listen and slow to speak.