Everlasting Father

"For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
​Isaiah 9:6

I've meditated a lot on being alone for the past year. Moving to a new city in a new state to a new school was a venture that I was so excited to embark on. Seeing new faces, crafting new stories in new communities: I couldn't wait. 
The hard part that no one reminds you of is the fact that with out a constant in your life, your time alone will feel like being on a ship that has no anchor to drop; no place to land.
On top of the restlessness that lies in the new, I discovered my extreme trust issues. 
I have a hard time trusting in anything. 
For me to trust someone, it requires me to give up a part of myself and to make me feel like I have no control. To not be in control is, in all honesty, a fear of mine. Being in control makes me feel safe, it allows me feel present, and it allows me to take responsibility for the good and the bad that may occur. 
Anyone that knows my faith journey through college knows that my intention was to allow Jesus to be my best friend. In a period of loneliness, however, the idea of Jesus being your best friend seems like the least of your solutions. When you have no one to place trust in, it can sometimes feel like the trust you have in Jesus isn't enough. 
Now how does that bring us to today's message? 
Everlasting Father. A Father whose presence never falters. Never changes. 
As I remind myself of the Lord's presence through the name 'Everlasting Father', I am reminded of two stories. The first is the story of Noah on the ark. In this story, we see Noah place his trust in God as he and his family go through uncharted waters for 40 days and 40 nights, and then some. It's easy to think that this story is a reflection of a 'different God'; the 'Old Testament' God. 
I always laugh when I hear that phrase. It's funny to me because it assumes that the nature of God, the essence of the Everlasting Father, has changed overtime. It completely disregards the most important character of the Lord: His everlasting nature. The promise through Isaiah 9:6 of an Everlasting Father is fulfilled through the nature of God being revealed again and again and again; the same God. The same nature. 
This brings me to my next story: the story of Jesus calming the storm. The storm that the disciples feared reminds me of the storm that Noah and His family feared. 
It reminds me that the experiences we go through, though treacherous and intimidating, aren't new.
The God that carried Noah through the storm is the same God. 
The fear that struck Noah and his family is the same fear the disciples had. 
The loneliness I feel is the same loneliness and isolation that the disciples felt in the Upper Room. 
But the God that comforts us is the same. We rest in the same promises. We share in the same hope. 
Our Everlasting Father will carry us through. 
Our Everlasting Savior will rescue us all. 
In my loneliness, in my fear, in my reluctance to trust: God will never change. 
Trust in the Lord. 
Trust in our Everlasting Father. 
Trust in the never-changing promises that we can find rest in. 
Thank You God for never changing, for allowing our trust to be secure in a Savior that will continue to save and rescue us from our loneliness and fear. 
Thank You Jesus for being an Everlasting Father.