A Tribute to Mr. Clements and to the God Unchanging

I can face tomorrow, because you hold me forever... safe within your arms, love that will not let me go. Steve Camp

The Bible says that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. God has shed new light on what that means. He reminded me of Mr. Clements, the faithful and God-fearing man who I looked up to as a child. He is with the Lord now, but his life and testimony live on in my heart.

Mr. Clements told my youth group once how he had fought in World War I and how God had protected him. “I saw the shells falling at a distance and gradually get closer, as they moved in a straight line toward me. The ground swelled up and I knew I was going to be hit in a matter of seconds. There in the trenches I trembled, watching them get closer. Then they skipped over me and moved on by. The line was straight, and I was in the path of fire, but it was as if I was under a shield. They passed, leaving me unharmed.” Mr. Clements’s faith in God increased that day by leaps and bounds as he saw God protect and deliver him.

All his days, Mr. Clements walked with God. He grew closer to Him, matured in his faith and understanding of his heavenly Father. He grew old, but God remained the same. From youth to old age, Mr. Clements learned more of his God, and his God never changed.

God was here before Mr. Clements ever drew his first breath. He walked with men of faith like Mr. Clements since the beginning of time. Men grew in faith and love, in trust and obedience. But God never grew. He never did age. He never did learn. There was no need. And God never did change. He was the same God - the God of Abraham, the God of Moses, the God of David, the God of... Mr. Clements.

And now He is the God of me. He will be the same God when I am old and full of years, when my bones ache and my eyes are dim, that He is now in my youth. I can rest, for I am secure. God is God, the Great I Am. He who walked with Mr. Clements walks with me and will walk with me through this life’s journey unto death. He will never let me go! He will never change! Ω

Written on October 19, 1991