I Wonder

“God will not permit man to have a knowledge of things to come; for if man had a foresight of his prosperity, he would become arrogant and careless; and if he had an understanding of his adversity, he would become listless and despairing” (Saint Augustine of Hippo).

For many years I have kept a log of my daily activities

I log things like where I’ve been, who I’ve seen, and what has happened in relationship to my work. Every now and then I review the record. As I get older, I find myself revisiting the past with greater frequency. I also find myself wondering about the future. What lies ahead?

You may wonder why I keep revisiting the past

The answer is that it helps me stay focused on the present and prepared for the future. Who among us will not be here in another year? Who will face declining health, a financial setback, or the loss of a loved one this year? Who will be blessed by the birth of a baby? Who will experience the joy of wedded bliss, or the heartbreak of divorce? Who will move into our community, and who will move away? I can’t answer any of those questions, and yet I know they are all part of what the future holds.

How will we respond to what lies ahead?

Only time will tell! James wrote: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil (James 4:13-16).

It is not wrong to think about the future, but we must not exclude God from it

He is in control. We are not. It is only when we understand His sovereignty and power that we can face the future with hope and confidence. This life at best is brief. Whether blessings or burdens come our way, neither stay for long. Therefore, we will not boast of our blessings or bemoan our burdens. We will acknowledge the hand of God in all, and simply say, “Your will be done!”

Leave the future to God

It was George Macdonald who wrote: “No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so. If you find yourself so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God’s. He begs you to leave the future to him, and mind the present.” Good advice! I wonder how many of us will heed it.

— Roger

MARCH 4, 2012