DEATH OF AN ICON
In May of 2022 a curious crowd gathered in Times Square to say goodbye to an icon. A power saw cut through the base of a phone booth on the corner of Seventh Avenue and 50th Street. It was the last New York City pay phone. Twenty years ago, it was virtually impossible to walk forty feet in NYC without encountering a phone booth. The city contained approximately 30,000. Now there are none. (PreachingToday.com “New York City Cuts Power for Last Pay Phones”)
If you’re young, you may not recall the significance of pay phones in our daily lives. In 1940, less than half of Americans possessed a phone. Pay telephones were critical. We’ve moved from no phones, to pay phones, to home phones, to flip phones, to smart phones. This is a microcosm of the constant changes in our culture. In a sense, the only thing that never changes is change. At times, it’s unsettling.
Everything changes. Nothing stays the same. But sometimes don’t you wish there was something unchanging and constant? Something stable and secure? Something we could depend on, no matter what happens? There is. He’s called Jesus.
Check out these passages. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6). “He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken” (Psalm 62:2). We can find strength in his strength. Stability in his stability. That’s why Jesus could definitively declare that if we turn to anything other than him for security, we are standing on sinking sand. But by constructing our lives on him, we are building on a solid foundation that endures forever (Matthew 7:24-27).
Finances, family, friends, health, career. In a flash of light, they can be gone. As Linda and I battle the uncertainty of her health, I’m realizing how unstable my peace of mind can be. When I link my sense of well-being to how she feels on any given day, I’m filled with fear. Because her condition often changes.
Of course not all change is bad, but in times of instability thank God, we have a Rock to which we can run. Thank God we can fall into his really strong arms. Thank God we can always depend on Jesus, our one-and-only certainty. To maintain my peace, I must keep my eyes on Jesus. In our ever-changing world, I can rest in his unchanging nature.
UPDATE ON LINDA: Linda has had a rough week, but it’s all part of the process of cleansing her body of this ungodly invader. Earlier this week, God brought a man across our path whose relative had been healed from cancer by the Gerson therapy. Four years ago, he was given three weeks to live. It was like a hug from God. Please pray for God to rid her of nausea.
Principle: Jesus is the only constant—our stability and security—in our world.
Ponder:
In what areas of life do you feel most unstable?
How have you found Jesus to give you the strength you need in the midst of uncertainty?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study Psalm 62.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that I can always depend on you. That in our world of sinking sand, you are my rock.