Two-minute read.
In high school, I worked at Montgomery Ward in their women’s department. One night, not long before my graduation, I had a meltdown. While inventorying scarves, my thoughts spiraled out of control, and I began crying. Worry about what would happen in the months ahead consumed me as I faced the brink of adulthood. My co-worker tried to assure me things would work out, but my anxiety won that battle.
And things did work out. But I didn’t know that then.
Just like the Israelites didn’t know what would happen to them when they lived in exile in Babylon. Far from home, living in circumstances they hadn’t chosen and couldn’t change, they must have wondered about their future. Had God forgotten them? Would they ever have their normal lives back? What did their future hold?
Everyone wonders about the future.
God understands our curiosity.
And He gives us a message: He has it under control.
Relaxing into the Savior’s plan for our lives should come easily, but it doesn’t. Knowing Christ’s miraculous death and resurrection, we have victory over whatever comes our way. But we still need reassurance that God has a plan for our lives, and we need to trust it.
The Israelites couldn’t see what their future would look like, and neither could I all those years ago. My anxiety and worry caused me to miss out on the moment. Life doesn’t let us skip difficult seasons; we must go through them. And in those valleys, the Lord teaches us valuable lessons that transform our lives. We learn to trust Him, even when we don’t understand.
Our inability to see the plan doesn’t mean God doesn’t have one.
Hindsight gives us 20/20 vision. Decades later, I can see the Lord’s hand in my life, guiding, directing, and protecting me along the way. I didn’t need to spend that evening in anxiety; I only needed to trust in God’s plan for my life and let it unfold.
The Lord sees the beginning, middle, and end.
We only see today.
But we can trust; God hasn’t forgotten us.
Hope lies ahead, as He continues to write our story.
Journal Questions:
- What area of my life feels uncertain right now, and how can I choose to trust God with what I cannot see?
- Have I been so focused on where I want to be that I’m missing what God may be doing in my life right now?
- What would it look like for me to hold onto hope and take one faithful step toward the future God has for me?
Application:
List ways God has provided for you in the past and let that strengthen your trust in Him for the future.
