A sign in the window of a British company read: We have been established for over 100 years and have been pleasing or displeasing customers ever since. We have made money and lost money, suffered the effects of coal nationalization, coal rationing, government control, and bad payers. We have been cussed and discussed, messed about, lied to, held up, robbed, and swindled. The only reason we stay in business is to see what happens next.
I don’t know about you, but I like to know what’s coming next. I’m not afraid of the unknown, but I definitely prefer to be “in the know.” In this life, though, we have to face each day not fully knowing what’s coming next. Oh, we make plans and go through our routines, but we never truly know what’s waiting for us a little further up the road.
Sometimes, when we don’t know exactly how things will pan out, it’s easy to become anxious, worried, and doubtful. We then tend to question God about what His plan is or wonder if He’s still with us. But we need to remind ourselves that faith is all about the unknown – “Now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1).
Writer Jenn Schultz offers the following ways that God can guide us when we don’t know what’s coming next:
- Pray – Surrender your will, your plans, your concept of control to God through voicing your fears and frustrations to Him, and then requesting His guidance and help.
- Remember – Life is full of unknowns. There’s no way you’ve made it this far without making it through them, no matter how they’ve ended. What have you made it through already in life? With God’s help, what are some of the hardest or darkest times you’ve come back from?
- Rely – Rely on God’s Word. Read and remember His promises, and then do your best to believe in them. If you’re currently facing the unknown, here are some verses that just might help: James 1:17, Hebrews 13:6-8, Luke 12:24-26, Jeremiah 29:11, Isaiah 30:21, Psalm 18:28-30, and Deuteronomy 31:8.
I’m going to try to do this. How about you?
God’s Best…Pastor Steven