We are living in an ever-changing world.  The older among us will testify of the changes that have transformed our society.  The cost of living has greatly increased, as well as the wages a man receives for a day’s work.  Negative things such as crime and drugs are on the rise year by year.  Morals have changed considerably since the 40s, 50s and 60s.  At one time fornication was a forbidden act, but now it is, not only accepted in most circles but considered to be necessary.  Some think that pre-marital sex is not only healthy but the best way to make sure a potential marriage partner is a suitable match for them.

Certainly, morals have changed in our society over the years.  It can be seen in the speech, action, and even appearance of most today.  Along with these different changes has come a change in attitude towards God.  People are generally less interested in spiritual things now than they were in past years.  This has affected the growth of the church.  The gospel has not lost any of its power, but as has always been the case, it only changes those who will hear with open ears and honest hearts.  Since there are fewer of those kinds of people today, there are naturally fewer converts.

While there have been many changes over the years, there has been one constant since the beginning of time—God.  God does not change.  He is immutable; therefore, He can always be trusted. His love, kindness, and providential care are the same now as they have always been.  Fashions change from year to year, but God remains the same.  If any people on earth should realize this truth, it should be those of us who belong to Him.  God will never turn his back on us.  We should never lose sight of this fact, even when things seem to be going poorly for us.  We should never give up on Him!

If there is something that all mankind has in common, it is having problems.  Everyone has suffered at one time or another. We all experience good times and bad times.  This is true of Christians, as well as non-Christians.  God has not put a miraculous force field around us so that we do not suffer.  We, too, must endure the ups and downs of life.  In fact, because we are persecuted by those who are not Christians, we, in some ways, suffer even more than they do.  Jesus once said, “…in the world ye shall have tribulation…” (John 16:33).    Why do we suffer persecution at times?  It is because those in darkness hate those in the light, and if we allow our lights to shine, some folks in the world are going to be upset (John 3:19, 20).

Not only do we experience trouble from those who believe not, we are exposed to the everyday trials of life.  Remember the thorn in the flesh that Paul had to bear.  We all have them.  We have problems that relate to finances.  We have family problems at times.  We experience problems with schoolmates or co-workers.  We have health problems.  Some Christians are unemployed, some are in unhappy marriages, and the list could go on and on.  The point of it is this—difficulties of life are common to those in and out of the body of Christ.

There is something (Someone), however, that the Christian has that the infidel does not.  We have God to turn to in times of trouble.  Listen to the words of the Hebrews writer:

Hebrews 4:6–7 (ESV)
⁶Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, ⁷again he appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”

This is a spiritual blessing that we have in Christ;  a birthright possessed by those who can call God Father because they have been adopted by Him.  Approaching God’s throne in prayer when we are experiencing problems is an alternative to giving up on God.  Remember, God loves us, and He can always be trusted.  He will help us bear our burdens if we turn to Him (1 Peter 5:7).  Surely God is saddened when one of His children is in need and does not come to Him for help.  Yet, this happens all too often because some are not rooted in the faith (Matthew 13:20, 21).

We must realize that God will not give up on us, but if we give up on Him,  we cannot count on Him attending to our needs (Matthew 6:33).  We have a biblical example in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).  The prodigal son left his father and found himself in a desperate situation.  His father, even though he surely did not want his son to suffer, could not help his son as long as he was in a country that was far off.  It was not until the boy realized that his father could relieve his suffering, and he went home, that his needs were met.

The application is simple.  If we leave our Father by giving up on Him and putting our trust in the world, we will find ourselves in a dire situation.  However, if we remain with God, or come back to Him after leaving by repenting of our sins, our needs will be supplied, and our sufferings will often be relieved.  And even if our problems do not immediately go away, we can trust God to be by our side and comfort us by the scriptures (2 Corinthians 1:3).