I am fascinated by time-lapse photography. In case you're not familiar with the concept, think of it as frame-by-frame movies with a lapse of time between each frame. The lapse may be seconds, minutes or even days. The effect is to see things happen faster than in real time.
An excellent example was presented to me just this morning. Entitled "Death Valley Dreamlapse 2", the footage shows the movement of stars in the desert sky, something one would not discern with the naked eye. Cloud movement is also enhanced, though we can see the clouds moving on our own. Overall, it makes for an enthralling 3-minute video. (You can see it at http://vimeo.com/65008584#)
A different type of time-lapse is to show the development of people over a period of time. One individual documented the changes in their daughter by taking still photos over a four-year period and blending them together. About 40 photos per year were used, and the four years were shown in a 30-second video. It's quite a compelling view; you can see it at http://vimeo.com/991627.
You don't have to produce time-lapse sequences to see changes over time. I can easily know that changes have taken place in my appearance over time just by looking at my high school yearbook! But by using this amazing technique we are impressed by what actually happens around us all the time. Change is a constant in life.
Not everything changes, however. You may doubt the truthfulness of that claim, for everything seems to change. Shiny new cars will eventually fade and rust; impressive mansions will deteriorate over time; even mountains erode. But I'll state it again: not everything changes.
Malachi 3:6 presents the truth behind this claim: "For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob." God does not change. If it were possible (it isn't possible, but let's just imagine) for a camera to be focused on God and His image snapped over decades-long lapses of time - God would look the same today as He did 5,000 years ago. Amazing!
Is this claim trivial or important? Important, of course, because it tells us that God will stand the test of time. In 1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "The Great Stoneface", based on a granite mountain formation in New Hampshire known as "The Old Man of the Mountains". On May 3, 2003 that edifice collapsed and is no more. God, however, will never collapse. Granite will fail; God will not.
This also leads us to this observation: "The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations" (Psalm 33:11). Society is in a state of constant flux; things we once depended on may one day no longer be with us. But the truth God has revealed in His word will continue unchanged - until He changes it. Until that day, we rest our faith on His holy word, the Bible.
Because of this monumental truth that God does not change (see also Hebrews 1:11,12), we can live by this truth: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). "In God we trust" - the coins and bills that bear those words begin wearing out as they leave the mint, but the truth stated by those words will never fail. God suffers not at all from elapsed time!
Timothy D. Hall
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