Several months ago I decided to change the ringtone on my cell phone. I had never really liked the default tone that was on the phone when I purchased it but didn’t want to hassle with trying to figure out how to select something different. But one afternoon, finding myself with some time to kill and feeling adventurous, I decided I was ready for a change. I scrolled through the various options available, but none of them really appealed to me. They all sounded, for lack of a better word, a little too "new-agey."
I was just about to give up when I heard a tone that I knew was the one for me. It was the sound of an old fashioned telephone ringing. You know, from the time when phones used to hang on the wall with chords attached to them. "Vr..r..r..r..i..i..n..n..g..." Something about that ring just made me feel good. In the midst of our digitalized, techno driven world, this seemingly insignificant sound bite from the past spoke to me.
So, after a little trial and error, I successfully selected as my ring tone and didn’t think about it again. That is, until I sat at the airport gate waiting for my flight. Within the space of the hour or so, I heard my phone ring at least four or five times. But each time I pulled it out of my pocket to answer, I discovered the ring wasn't coming from my phone, but from some other phone owned by someone among the mass of humanity swirling around me.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one who had found comfort in that familiar, old-fashioned ring. It could have just been an odd coincidence. But possibly, just maybe, it was more than that. Maybe it was a manifestation of one of those traits about being human that we all share. With so much changing around us, maybe that familiar ring spoke to a deep-seated need within all of us for consistency and stability. Maybe we're drawn to those things that, no matter how small or insignificant, give us a sense of grounding.
Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Jesus Chris is the same yesterday, today and forever.
In Malachi 3:6 we read "I am the Lord, I change not."
All around us economies are in turmoil. Wars and rumors of wars are sprouting from every corner of the globe. Forces are at work in our schools, the media and even in some of our churches to undermine many of the core values in which we believe. As believers, how encouraging is it for you and I to know that there is one thing that never changes. There is one thing grounded solid bedrock. Our God - His way, His love, the truth that is His Word - never changes. We don’t have to be, like so many in this world, anxious, fearful and insecure about tomorrow. In a world that is swirling with change, our feet are firmly planted.
I don't know about you, but I draw a lot of comfort from that knowledge. As we who read God's Word know, this world is only going to become more chaotic as the end approaches. People that don't know Him are going to become increasingly anxious and desperate as this physical system on which they depend crumbles around them. You and I, having our feet firmly planted, will be in a unique position to lead them to solid ground.
I'm thankful that I don't need to rely on things that are passing away for consistency and stability. As the chaos and change in this world speeds up, I’ll cling to the things I know will never change.
I sure do like my new ringtone though.