The Unchanging Goodness of God: Finding Stability in Life's Storms

James 1:17
 
In a world where everything seems to shift beneath our feet—relationships change, health fluctuates, circumstances transform overnight—we desperately need something solid to anchor our souls. James 1:17 offers us exactly that anchor: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

This profound verse invites us beyond mere gratitude for blessings on our table to recognition of the unchanging God who placed them there. It's a call to look past the gifts to the Giver himself.

The Foundation of God's Unchanging Nature

Theologians use the term "immutability" to describe God's unchanging nature. Simply put, God does not change in His being, His person, His perfections, His purposes, or His promises. This doesn't mean God is immobile or distant—He actively relates to His people and responds to their needs. But His essential character never wavers.

Why is this significant? Because God is already perfect. If He changed, it would mean He was becoming either better or worse. But perfection has no need for improvement and cannot diminish without ceasing to be perfect. Therefore, God's unchanging nature is directly tied to His perfection.

Consider the sun, which ancient readers understood as the most stable element in creation. From our perspective, it appears to move across the sky, but in reality, it's the earth that's rotating. The sun constantly shines, perpetually giving life-sustaining light. Clouds may obscure our view, and night may fall from our vantage point, but the sun never stops shining.

God is like that sun—the Father of lights. We may experience cloudy days and dark nights in our lives, but behind it all, God has not ceased to be who He is. His goodness continues to shine, unchanged and unchanging.

Lessons from History's Darkest Hours

Three centuries ago, Edward Pierce pastored in London during two catastrophic events: the Great Plague of 1665, which killed 100,000 people, and the Great Fire of London in 1666, which claimed thousands more lives and left 80,000 homeless. As if that weren't enough, Pierce faced persecution, losing his pulpit, income, and home when he refused to compromise his convictions. He was repeatedly imprisoned.

During this time, Pierce contracted tuberculosis. His congregation watched him slowly wither away, gasping for breath between sentences as he preached. Yet witnesses said his sermons came "from lips near the grave, but his soul near to God." Throughout these overwhelming trials, Pierce clung to the truth of James 1:17—that God is unchanging in His goodness.

Pierce wrote: "There is no ebbing or flowing in God. His love stands like a rock in the midst of all storms." This conviction sustained him through circumstances that might have caused anyone else to question God's goodness.

God's Goodness Is Not Circumstantial

Unlike humans, who are subject to mood swings and changing emotions, God never has a "bad day." We might need to catch our earthly fathers at the right moment to ask for something important, but our Heavenly Father is never moody, never irritable, never exhausted.

Isaiah 54:18 promises that God's kindness will never depart from us. His love doesn't cool. His disposition toward His children doesn't fluctuate. His generosity doesn't slow. His faithfulness never grows old.

This truth is particularly crucial when we face trials. James wrote his letter to believers who were "scattered abroad"—fleeing persecution, experiencing intense suffering. He reminds them (and us) that trials are inevitable: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."

Notice the word "when," not "if." We can divide ourselves into three groups: those coming out of a trial, those currently in one, and those who will face one in the future. Jesus Himself said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation."

These trials come in various forms—illness, disappointment, loss, loneliness, unfulfilled dreams. They often strike suddenly, like the thieves who fell upon the Good Samaritan's victim on the road to Jericho.

Interpreting Trials Through God's Character

When suffering hits, we're tempted to think God has changed toward us—that perhaps He's forgotten us, doesn't care, or is even against us. James corrects this thinking by anchoring us in God's immutability.

Edward Pierce understood this principle deeply. He wrote: "We do wrong to judge God by providence when we ought to judge providence by God." In other words, don't look at your circumstances and then judge God by them. Instead, look at God first, then judge your circumstances through the lens of His unchanging character.

This perspective transforms how we experience trials. When we view difficulties through the unchanging goodness and love of God, we can have peace knowing that everything He allows has a good purpose, even when we can't see it yet.

Charles Spurgeon once saw a weather vane on a barn with the words "God is love" written on it. His companion remarked that it seemed inappropriate, suggesting God's love changes with the wind. Spurgeon responded: "No, it means God is love no matter which way the wind blows."

The Perfection of God's Gifts

James describes God's gifts as both "good" and "perfect." They're good in quality—beneficial, kind, generous. They're perfect in purpose—complete, exactly suited to what we need, perfectly timed.

Some gifts might not look good at first glance. Trials that produce patience, delays that build faith, weakness that creates dependence on God—these are perfectly suited to our spiritual growth, even when they're painful.

God never miscalculates. He never gives a gift too late or too early. He never provides a blessing that will ultimately harm us. He never withholds something we truly need.

A Continual Downpour of Grace

The phrase "cometh down" in James 1:17 is in the present tense, indicating continuous action. God's giving isn't momentary—it's perpetual. His grace doesn't come like an eyedropper but like a waterfall.

Lamentations 3:22 tells us His mercies are "new every morning." Psalm 84:11 promises "no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly." John 1:16 speaks of receiving "grace for grace"—literally, grace stacked upon grace.

Every breath you draw is a gift. Every heartbeat is a drop of God's mercy. Every moment you've lived has been lived under the constant reign of God's goodness.

A thankful person recognizes God's fingerprints on every blessing. Nothing comes by luck, fate, or accident. Everything flows from the Father of lights.

 The Greatest Gift of All

If you've ever doubted God's goodness, look at the cross. Your salvation is the ultimate proof of His unchanging love.

James moves from discussing "every good and perfect gift" in verse 17 to describing the greatest gift in verse 18: "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."

Salvation is entirely God's work. It was His idea, His will, His doing—not ours. Fallen humanity doesn't naturally seek God; we hide from Him, just as Adam did in the Garden of Eden. If you're saved, it's because God sought you out.

He regenerated you—gave you new birth—through the power of His Word. The Scripture itself carries life-giving power. As Peter wrote, we are "born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

Your salvation is the "firstfruits"—the first installment of coming glory. God saved you not just to forgive your sins but to ultimately make you perfect, to glorify you, to make you like Christ. This is His unchanging purpose for your life.

The Security of Unchanging Love

Because God's purposes don't change, your salvation is secure. What God has begun, He will complete. "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6).

When Edward Pierce saw everything around him collapse, he kept his focus on the eternal gift God had given him. He taught people to distinguish between temporal gifts and the eternal gift, writing: "Christ is the unchanging gift of the unchanging God."

Even if God never gave you another earthly blessing, He's already given you the greatest gift possible in Jesus Christ.

A Foundation for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving season, thank God not merely for what you have but for who you are—a child of the unchanging Father, saved by an unchanging Savior through an unchanging gospel, held by an unchanging God.