Why Can't I Know the Future
Why can’t I know the future?
I think everyone at some point in his or her life has asked this question. Wouldn’t it just be easier to know what lies ahead so we could make all the right decisions to avoid the detours and achieve our destiny?!?! Yes that does sound pretty good. Only problem is it’s never going to happen. Dang it. Hard as we may try mistakes and setbacks are just inevitable. In reality it’s those very mistakes that teach us valuable lessons along the way. I know we would like to think we could learn things without doing it the hard way and some lessons we can. But others require trial and error, faith and trust to learn. Knowing the final destination may be possible but the route to get there will always be somewhat of a mystery.
After all, when we signed up for this Christian gig, we gave God our life, surrendered to His plan for us and laid aside our own agenda…or at least we were supposed to. But somewhere along the journey we forget that little fact and try to take control back, make our own decisions and then get frustrated at God when things fall apart, weird how we do that. But thank goodness He’s full of patience and knows we are just children who are trying to grow up and learning His ways as we go. So our lives become this two steps forward and one back dance trying to remember to let Him lead. FYI we all do it so give yourself a hug right now, stop feeling like the only one who does dumb stuff.
If God were to give us all the answers ahead of time, where would the need for trust be? Why would I need to pray? God usually gives us the vision or an idea of the destiny on our lives but never says how long it will take to get there or how many turns we’ll be taking along the way. I hate that. I just want to know already. Or He gives me the destination but I then put my expectations or perceptions of what it will look like to achieve that and then I’m devastated when it is completely different than I expected. But God I thought you said…blab bla bla. My dashed hopes are not His fault but my own. I need to leave the details up to Him and simply follow the leader.
Car headlights are designed to illuminate around 300 yards ahead of my car. They are designed to show me the way in the dark, but not all at once. God’s plans are revealed to us in much the same way. He tells us the overall design of our future but expects us to trust and rely on His daily guidance for each and every twist and turn of the way. God spoke clearly to my husband and I about our call to be Pastors. We assumed we would go to a church and stay, end of story. Well little did we know after 11 years we would have journeyed through five churches in five states. I absolutely hated moving. I don’t even like change! This was never on our radar. We had absolutely no idea what our journey would look like. But at every new turn He gave us the light we needed to make the next 300 yards. If we had known all the details of our journey we would not have learned all the necessary lessons we have, learning to trust His guidance. Relax, stop trying to understand looking forward what God will only reveal by looking back…He’s got this.
Psalm 32:8, 48:14, 73:24, 78:52, Isaiah 58:11, John 16:1, Genesis 12:1