Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

As a teen in the 1960’s I was angry all the time without understanding why. I would get into fights without cause or justification. I feared that I was headed toward a destructive life that was beyond my control. Then one Sunday I prayed to God for the first time. I was not sure about Him, only that I was desperate for change. I said, “I am tired of being like this.”

I raised my hand at the alter call without understanding why or even if I was in control of my faculties. In that moment my anger left me and I was changed.

Jeremiah 29:12-14a Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, saith the Lord:

This was God introducing Himself to me. All it took was an honest confession of condition and he changed me. There was no self-effort on my part, there was no force of will. God just took away the anger.

I was in awe of the moment. I was bewildered by how it happened. I was not exactly sure what had happened. This God had the power to change my emotions. I didn’t expect Him to do that. I didn’t know what to expect when I prayed for the first time in my life. It was not a formal prayer.

The quoted verse above says come and hear all those who fear God. Those who believe in God and have a reverent fear of God will accept my witness as true. There are others who scoff at what I have said.

Psalm 102:25-26 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:

The things of the natural world were created to change. We have marveled at earth’s ability to heal herself after asteroids destroyed life and life had to begin again. We use the oil reserves that were created during those years and buried for millions of years. Many call it a happy accident. I am not so inclined.

We read in the bible of miraculous healing performed that changed people’s lives. Children raised from the dead, the blind made to see, healing upon healing of every sort by both prophets of old and Jesus Christ. In the case of Christ those that were changed forever in more than just an outward appearance. Hearts were changed.

We advance in time to this day and we see a world trying to force change. Let us not focus on war which is ever present and a real danger in force of will. Let us focus on appearances for a moment. Obesity is prevalent, glamour is desired, fitness is admired, and self-effort is on the subject of many magazines and books. What is the latest craze in diets? What is the world coming to when we decide we are unhappy with who we are and will take the most drastic steps to change who we are by sheer will?

In the opening verse these words ring true, “shalt thou change them”. Much is to be learned about the meaning of vesture but for this blog allow me to point to the issues of change of identity. In those days one could tell what you were by what you wore.

It is not so simple today.