FINDING MEANING IN THE FUTURE

“On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem. And the Mount of Olives will split apart, making a wide valley running from east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south…Then the Lord my God will come, and all his holy ones with him. On that day the sources of light will no longer shine, yet there will be continuous day! Only the Lord knows how this could happen. There will be no normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light. On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously in both summer and winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped.” – Zechariah 14:4-9.

We have always been intrigued about tomorrows. Predicting the future is something we continually attempt to do as we seek to know what’s around the dark, unknown corner of “what will be.” After all, imagine how wonderful it would be to foresee the future.

We like to control our schedules, our habits, health, playlists and posts, and most of all, our future. Wouldn’t it be great if we could be sure of where we’ll be, who we’ll be with, and what we’ll be doing in the years ahead? But of course, that’s a dream. We might have a pretty good handle on our direction, but life has a way of handing us detours when we’re least expecting them. Proverbs 19:21 says: “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” That verse is a pointed reminder that God is running the show and in control of our future.

In Zechariah 14, the prophet pointed the people of Israel, not only to the salvation of the coming Messiah but also to a future reality with God. This would be far greater than anything they could imagine, understand or explain. Though there remained a great trial in store for them, God held the world and its future in His hands.

In the last 25 years, we have learned as a church community that following Jesus is an act of faith because it acknowledges that our future belongs to God and not to us. This can seem unsettling, but it is actually liberating. You learn to let more things go. You learn to stress less. You learn to focus on today. You learn to enjoy the journey and living by faith one day at a time. Because in Christ, your eternal destination is sure, even if your specific roadmap is littered with twists and turns.

The longer we walk with the Lord, the more we realize that we really don’t know what each new day may bring. A phone call can come in the middle of the night shattering our joy. Suddenly everything changes. Those unforeseen instances remind us that God alone knows our future. And there’s no safer, no better, no more rewarding place to be than in walking hand in hand with our Lord and Savior.

Discussion Questions:

What is your reaction to this devotional?
How does this future hope inform our present reality?