As my oldest child has gotten older, it seems more and more common that he will ask me what the next thing on the agenda is, or whether we’re “doing anything fun this weekend.” Because having a detailed plan is not necessarily something that comes naturally when you have multiple kids at home and a job where you’re regularly “on call,” I usually try not to give him too many details.
But for him, he always wants to know what is happening. He wants to know if it’s worth getting excited about. So it drives him absolutely crazy when he asks what we’re going to do, and I am vague on the details. Sometimes I know exactly what the plan is, but I want him to experience excitement in the moment, so I might tell him we’re “going to do something fun.” He doesn’t like that answer. He wants to have all the details, and he wants them now.
Maybe you know someone like that in your life. Maybe you’re that person. Sometimes it’s hard to not be “in the know” about what is happening next. And as we get older, sometimes the stakes get higher, too. It’s harder to not know what’s coming next when it might impact your career, your family, or maybe even your health. It’s all too easy to assume the worst – which sometimes makes it harder to be present in the “right now” of our everyday life.
Let’s be honest: There are days when our anxiety gets the better of us. There are days where all we can focus on is the things we don’t know about, and then we miss what’s right in front of us. But the Bible reminds us that we know what is next. We know that we are all claimed and beloved by God, and that in Jesus Christ, we will find our place in the Father’s house (John 14). We know where this all ends up, even if we can’t control the challenges of the here and now. The good news for us, however, is because we know God ultimately has a place for us, we also know that the challenges of this world do not last forever. Psalm 121:8 tells us, “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.” Ultimately, it is God who is in control. And God knows the things that we don’t yet know. God holds closely all things, and knowing the unknown is in the hands of God, we are able to move forward in trust.
So today, I encourage you, trust that God knows those things you don’t yet know. Know that God knows your concerns and your hopes. And knowing these things, live for today. Live fully in the here and now, because the God who watches over all of us is the God of today as well. And today there is good work to be done for the sake of the Gospel. May we all enter into these things with confidence and joy in our hearts.
Pastor Chris