#4 - He is the Stability of Our Times (Part 3) - The Unchanging Christ

Barbara Rainey's Top 10 Interviews

Click Here to Listen to the other parts in the series
He is the Stability of Our Times (Part 1) - Keeping Your Focus
He is the Stability of Our Times (Part 2) - Teaching Your Kids to Handle Loss
He is the Stability of Our Times (Part 3) - The Unchanging Christ

FamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript

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The Unchanging Christ

Guests: Dennis and Barbara Rainey

From the series: Unshaken: He Is the Stability of Our Times (Day 3 of 3)

Air date: October 19, 2016

Bob: Do you look at what's happening in our world and in our culture and lose heart?

Barbara Rainey says there's reason for optimism.

Barbara: I think, in the long run, this is going to be very good for the people of God. It's going to be very good for the church, because it will prove who really belongs to Christ. It will prove what we're really made of and where our loyalties lie; because if our loyalties are in the government—and who’s in power / who the President is—that's going to go away / that's going to fade.

Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Wednesday October 19th. Our host is the President of FamilyLife®, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. Could it be that God is actually causing all things to work together for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose, even in a political election year? We'll discuss that today. Stay with us.

1:00

And welcome to FamilyLife Today. Thanks for joining us on the Wednesday edition. So here's the question: “Optimist or pessimist—which are you?” And your wife is here. [Laughter] So whatever you say, I am going to get a fact-checker, right here, to determine whether what you say is true.

Dennis: I'm a realistic optimist.

Bob: A realistic optimist. [Laughter] That sounds like you're hedging your bets on—

Dennis: No; no. I just take a real clear look at what's taking place. These are troubling days/challenging days—we don't know what the future holds.

But that's how I describe myself. I think I want to respond in faith. I think we are put here for good works. In fact, I was just thinking about this broadcast—I quoted this earlier on the broadcast—Psalm 37, verse 3:

2:00

“Trust in the Lord and do good.” You can't be a pessimist and do nothing—you have to trust in the Lord, and I think, be an optimist. An optimist says, “God is at work.”

I just walked into a meeting a few minutes ago and was just talking about the days in which we are alive. The gentleman who was there said, "Do you think maybe God's got a message for us?" And I said, "Do you think?!" [Laughter] I mean, these are fascinating days: “What is He up to? Why would you want to be up to anything else other than what God's doing?”

Bob: Okay; let me see if your wife would agree with your characterization. Is he a realistic optimist? Is that a good characterization?

Barbara: I do think that's a good description, and I was trying to decide what I would say. I would say he’s definitely not a pessimist.

Bob: Okay.

Dennis: But what about you, Bob?

Barbara: He's by far more optimistic than pessimistic.

Bob: I want to know about Barbara first.

Dennis: Okay.

Bob: Are you an optimist?—or a pessimist?

3:00

Barbara: Well, honestly, I think I'd have to say the same answer that Dennis gave; because I can see the negative in things, but I think my faith calls me back to believe God. I think were it not for my faith, I think I would probably be a pessimist—

Bob: Yes.

Barbara: —because I tend toward depression. I tend toward realism and practicality; so I tend to see the reasons why things won't work sometimes. But—

Bob: So how hard was it for you to create a plaque that says, "He shall be the stability of our times”?—Isaiah 33:6.

Barbara: Well, actually, this one was pretty easy. There have been some other things that weren't so easy, but this one was pretty easy.

Bob: A lot of people have seen this and said: “I need that—

Barbara: Yes.

Bob: —“in my home. I need something that reminds me—in a time, where we start to lose faith / where we start to lose hope—

Barbara: Yes.

Bob: —“I need something to remind me that there is still a reason for hope”; right?

4:00

Barbara: Well, the purpose of this plaque is to help us remember that there is Someone who never changes. I may change, my circumstances may change, my family may change, the country may change—I mean, everything is up for grabs except Jesus. The plaque we designed so that it will remind us every day, if you hang it in your house, He shall be the stability of your times. And why? Because Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. He won't change. He's never going anywhere.

No matter how unstable the world feels at any given moment, He's never changing. That reminder, I think, is really important for us, as Christians, in this era in which we live; because we are surrounded by so much that is creating uncertainly, and creating fear, and creating anxiety in our hearts. Jesus wants us to not be afraid but to trust in Him.

Bob: So let me ask the realistic optimist—

Barbara: Optimist

5:00

Bob: —over here: “As you look at the world that we are in today—you look at the economic condition, you look at the political scene / we've got an election coming up. We're going to have a new President, and we don't know which direction we're going to be headed. Are you hopeful about where we will be, as a church ...