No Shadow of Turning

James 1:17

“Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

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I love this verse. It never fails to remind me that everything I have is from the loving hand of my Heavenly Father. But it has typically been my go-to verse only when times are good.

When I am happy, healthy, and enjoying God’s visible blessings on my life, it’s easy to thank God for His goodness. But what about when times are hard? There’s a truth in this verse that brings unspeakable comfort in trials.

James says that with God “there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

This means that the Father of Lights who gives us all our good and perfect gifts is the same God who allows hard things to come into our lives. It seems contradictory, but not when we remember 1 Peter 1:3-7

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”(vv3-5)

Pay close attention to the next few verses:

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”(vv.6-7)

That word, “wherefore” is the key. Because of the great salvation and wonderful inheritance God has gifted us with, we rejoice, not just a little, but “greatly,” even in the midst of difficult or trying times. How can we rejoice? Because of that last phrase in James 1:17

“with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

God never changes. It is the attribute of His character which theologians call immutability: an inability to change or be altered in any way. Hebrews 13:8 declares,

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

It is the fact that God is unchanging which brings joy to our times of heavy trials, for we know that the same God who gave us the good gifts of salvation and an eternal inheritance in heaven is the One who has allowed these trials in our lives for the good purpose of building our faith.

Look at 1 Peter 1:7 again:

“That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ”

Although the Bible is clear that God does not tempt us to sin, (James 1:13) He does allow our faith to be tested, or tried, in order that it might be strengthened. Romans 5 illustrates this:

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom we also have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (vv. 3-5)

Notice again the combination of God’s good gifts of justification, peace, grace, and hope, with the idea of tribulations being sent so that we can develop patience, experience, and the sure hope that only God can give.

In this way, tribulations become just one more good gift sent to us by the Father of Lights, whose unchanging nature gives us reason to trust that even the hard things are allowed by His good hand.

In times of trial, we can trust God and rest in the knowledge that the Father of Lights will not change. We can accept any difficulty as from His hand, and thus rejoice, not in the trial itself, but in the good God means to bring out of it.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)