“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
JOHN 10:27–30
Often, change comes gradually, like the erosion of a creek bank year after year, or the infinitesimal wearing of the wind on a granite cliff face. Trees grow taller year by year, and ravines are carved a bit deeper. But the broader landscape does not change. Day passes after day, one season giving way to another, often fast-paced, but with no major upheaval. The kids grow older and taller year by year. The faces in our churches and neighborhoods are mostly constant. We struggle with some things—maybe our child’s teacher is not who we had hoped for, or we’re at odds with a family member or a neighbor. But the patterns are not radically different year after year.
Then there are seasons when change feels more like Mount St. Helens’ erupting. Do you remember what happened that day? One side of the mountain was blown out. Steaming hot ash boiled into the sky. The shock wave knocked down miles upon miles of forest. A river of mud and ash obliterated a wide swath of terrain. Have you been there in your own life? A loved one passes away unexpectedly. We receive a terrifying medical diagnosis. Our marriage ends. Best friends move halfway across the country. A disagreement that seemed minor to us severs a close relationship. Our pastor retires, and within months our church becomes unrecognizable. And in some seasons, it’s not just one change, but one after another.
What never changes is that Jesus is our Shepherd. When our world lurches off-kilter, we may momentarily forget that we are in Jesus’ hand, in the Father’s hand. But we are. No matter how strong the shock wave of change feels, nothing can snatch us out of His hand.