Ever catch yourself in a day dream, not the kind where your laying on the beach listening to the soothing sound of the waves coming in relaxing and lulling you to sleep. No, that would be blissful, but not the kind in which I am referring. The kind I am talking about is the one where you catch yourself planning or strategizing a situation your facing. Have you ever caught yourself in those thoughts? I have, I can sit and dream up an intricate plan in my mind and easily explain to you how I think something will happen – but sometimes after all that time spent dreaming things up I find out that I was wrong, and the plan I worked doesn’t pan out, leaving me to feel unraveled, and confused left to experience the sober reminder that I don’t know everything -and I am not God. I am not alone in this attempt of control. God acknowledges this struggle of His people in many different areas of His word.
Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
He very openly admits to us that His ways are not ours, and He beckons us to release control to Him and accept that worry does not come from Him. His word draws us to understand that in the midst of our misunderstanding, and confusion that God has a plan, and His plan to pull us from our mess was written out long before our current situation showed up on anyone’s radar.
You see, God is the God who was, and is, and is to come. God is the Creator who has existed since before the beginning of time. God is the God of the here and now making Him the God of our today. God is eternal which means that God is the God of our tomorrows. His eternal nature, goodness, and sovereignty provide confidence for us to stand strong when our day doesn’t hold what we think it should. When our day takes a turn for the unexpected, it tells us our world is not crashing in, and it tells us we are not forsaken by the Almighty God.
There are times when we are blindsided by the unforseen and it leaves us in an attempt to grasp for understanding as to why and begging to know what it all means. When we do this we expect to find some deep and complex explanation for why things didn’t go the way we wanted them to, but in all reality what it really means is simple – His plan is different than ours, and our tomorrow is going to be different than we envisioned – and that is ok – because in our tomorrow…God is already there, and He already has a plan that he is working that will bring us through victoriously IF we will allow Him. Allowing Him to do it though is hard. It requires that we are entrenched in His word. Knowing His word makes us strong. It teaches us His goodness and declares powerful words of encouragement such as:
Psalms 145:9:
The LORD is good to all, And His mercies are over all His works.
Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
God in all His infinite wisdom knew we would have a hard time grasping this concept of trusting Him with our tomorrows so in response he poured into His word numerous examples of people that had the same struggles as we do, yet, they held on and God proved His faithfulness over and over.
Belief that God is the God of tomorrow allowed Abraham and Sarah to see God’s plan come to fruition.
Belief that God is the God of tomorrow gave Mary the confidence to respond to the angel with, ‘be it unto me according to thy word.’
Belief that God is the God of tomorrow gave Annanias the courage to trust when God told him to GO!
Belief that God is the God of tomorrow gave the disciples the drive to continue when they were without true understanding after Jesus was crucified.
Belief that God is the God of tomorrow worked in all of these situations, and it will work in ours as well, that is the purpose of their record in His Holy word. We are to look at the stories recorded within as examples of how others endured so we can pattern our lives as such. They are recorded to show us the way, as proof that God will do what He said He will do, BUT we have to be willing to allow Him to be what He said He will be.
There is a point in our life where the rubber actually has to meet the road. Faith is an action, and action requires effort and activity. The enemy wants nothing but for us to stay in the realm of comfort, but none of the examples provided in God’s Word are examples of ease. They are examples of great sacrifice that resulted in magnificient moves of God. These moves were so powerful that they were recorded to serve as testimonies for ALL generations to read and learn from. God’s plan worked for them, and His plan will work for us, we just have to take hold of our thoughts, our doubts, our anxieties and say, ‘Enough is ENOUGH!’
We must take on the mentality of Paul and stand as he stood and proclaim
Philippians 3:12-17
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul said, ‘I press.’ I don’t know about you, but when I press against something or I press on toward something, my press requires strength and focus.
Mark 11:23
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
‘No doubt in his heart but shall believe.’ – That is the key. This verse tells us we are going to have to wait, and that wait requires we press through it. This is something no one in this day and age wants to hear let alone do. BUT if we are honest we will acknowledge that if there is no wait, than there is no purpose for faith. The definition of faith explains that it is a belief in things unseen. Knowing this definition tells us that to have faith we are going to have to learn to wait. God’s word is very clear that we MUST have faith, we must believe, and when we believe, then those things that we prayed about – they come to pass.
Romans 8:28 provides a promise that requires faith in our loving Savior. He promises that ALL things work together for good to them that love God. If you are finding yourself in a situation where you have prayed over something and you aren’t sure how any of it can work out for good, remember the lessons we learn from those that remained faithful to God’s promise. He didn’t let them down, and He won’t let you down either. Take those promises with you today, and trust in the God of our tomorrow…Choose Him.