Have you heard the saying, “You can trust an unknown future to a known God”? I think there’s so much comfort in this adage.
I woke up this morning with the word future on my heart so I opened my bible and began to look at verses concerning our future to see what the Holy Spirit was trying to convey.
The first place I was led to was familiar. Jeremiah 29:11-14 says, “For I know the plans I have for you– plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you…” There’s so much comfort in these words.
When our heart is unsure (of anything), we can lean on the words of God for strength. He knows the plans He has for us– our responsibility is to trust Him. But I think it’s important to note that God isn’t asking us for blind faith. He desires fellowship with us and the best way we do that is through time in His Word and in prayer. This is how we learn to trust the One we love and follow.
He knows the plans He has for us.
I don’t like spontaneous surprises. I can adjust quickly, but I prefer to have a plan. It’s not unusual for me to look over my calendar regularly (where am I supposed to be? what’s coming up? etc.) So I like knowing God already has the map and the plan. My responsibility is to simply stay close to Him.
The next verses I was led to was a teaching by Jesus. In Luke 12, we find an account of someone asking about the future. “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” “Friend,” he said to him, “who appointed me a judge or arbitrator over you?” He then told them, “Watch out and be on guard against all greed, because one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:13-15). I added the emphasis on “not” because of what Jesus said next.
Then he told them a parable: “A rich man’s land was very productive. He thought to himself, ‘What should I do, since I don’t have anywhere to store my crops? I will do this,’ he said. ‘I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones and store all my grain and goods there. Then I’ll say to myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years. Take it easy; eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.”‘
“But God said him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is demanded of you. And the things you have prepared– whose will they be?’ That’s how it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:16-21).
The New Living Translation says, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
Stay balanced.
Let me first say, I don’t believe the emphasis here is whether it’s okay or not to have wealth (or stuff). There are too many other places in scripture that express God’s desire for us to be well taken care of. The problem is when our focus is on natural things more than spiritual things– especially concerning the future.
Trusting in our plans and our bank accounts more than trusting God is a problem. Jesus said the man in his parable missed the point. And “The same thing will happen to all who fill up their lives with everything but God” (TPT).
Proverbs 16:9 is a great equalizer. It says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs His steps.”
In other words, God encourages us to make plans for our future, but we should always let the Lord choose the steps we take to get there (TPT). He knows the future better than anyone. He is Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. He is the Creator of heaven and earth and the lover of your soul. His plans are good and can be trusted.
Oddly, I don’t have any fear of the future. I haven’t been worried about anything. I think the Holy Spirit just wanted to remind us all to rest in Him. Maybe we’ll need this reminder in the days and months ahead. Or maybe this was written just for you– to assure you God sees you and He is working all things out for your good. Either way, I can assure you, you can trust the unknown by knowing Him.
