(Jesus speaking) “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  – Matthew 6:31-34

We all want to feel like we have a plan for the future. And that is proper. We all should set goals and plan ahead as best we can. It is good to dream and have ambitions.

But what can we do when life goes sideways and all our plans fall apart?

When our plans fail and we cannot see a clear path forward, we often panic. Our anxiety causes us to become fearful and lose our joy.

So we cry out to God for some kind of guidance. We beg Him to give us some kind of sign to help us regain our hope for the future.

And because He loves us, God will give us guidance … but in His own way, and His own time.

The fact is, God does not want us to know too much about the future. He reveals His plans to us on a “need to know” basis, because He is training us to depend on Him instead of ourselves.

TRUST MORE, WORRY LESS

God wants us to trust Him with the future, and stop worrying about it. He wants us to learn to walk by faith. We cannot control the future, but we can snuggle right up to the God who does, and He is well-equipped to take care of all our future needs. 

All we really need to know is what we should do today. We should start each day praising God for His faithfulness. And then, as we commit each day to Him (one day at a time) He will guide us through whatever problems arise (one day at a time.)

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” – Matthew 6:27

Let’s face it: Life down here is a mess. Mankind has been struggling ever since Adam and Eve got themselves banned from Eden. We live in a cursed, sinful world, filled with people in rebellion against their Creator.

Troubles come to all of us in this life. Sometimes we are innocent victims of forces beyond our control. Other times we are reaping what we have sown because of bad choices we made in the past.

It is amazing (and I am preaching to myself here) how easily we forget God when things are going well. And unless He allows some trials into our lives, we can wander far off the path without even a clue that we have lost our way.

Sorrows and heartaches are allowed by God for our own good. Without them, we would become too self-reliant, too self-assured. Trouble drives us back to God.

Like spoiled children, we tend to ignore Him until we reach the end of our own resources. And then we cry out to God as our last resort, when He should have been our first resort all along.

The wonderful news is that He truly is a kind, loving, compassionate Father. When we reach the end of our rope, we will find God there – waiting for us with open arms!

GOD LOVES US IN SPITE OF OURSELVES

God knows we are made from dust. He knows how pathetic we are. He knows we are going to fail Him over and over all throughout our lifetimes.

And yet … He still loves us! He still cares for us! He still rescues us when we cry out to Him.

More amazing to me is the fact that God chooses to partner with us to accomplish His purposes in this world!

Even though He is fully aware of your sinfulness, God will work with you for your entire lifetime to grow your faith and love. He will never give up on His training program for you.

He will comfort you when you need comfort, He will discipline you when you need discipline, He will push you when you need pushed. And He will always love you – unconditionally.

God is the ultimate “life coach.”  Everything He does for you – and to you – is for your own good, and for His eternal glory.

God is training an army of sons and daughters to invade this fallen world and give lost souls the good news that Jesus offers us an eternal life of peace with God. He wants you in that army, and He will put you through boot-camp to get you ready. If you are having hard times that just means God is taking you to school.

Please understand, I am not discounting your grief. No doubt your struggle is painful. Sometimes life just stinks! We all have dark times that drain our spirits. That’s why we need to pray for each other and support each other.

But it is important to remember this fact: Our trials here are temporary. If we are true believers, our joy with God in heaven will be eternal!

THERE IS TROUBLE AHEAD

So you should expect some troubles. You should expect some hard times. But don’t expect God to give you all the answers to ‘why?’ or ‘when?’ or ‘how?’

Simply put, God doesn’t want you to know too much. He wants you to trust Him. He is interested in building your faith, not giving you a road map to the future.

So when you ask ‘why?’ or ‘when?’ or ‘how?’ you are asking the wrong questions. All you really need to ask of God is, “How can I serve you today?”

When you focus on serving God each day, you are set free from worrying about the future. When you trust God one day at a time, you acknowledge that the future is His problem, not yours!

God promises that when we follow Him, He will take care of us. He will supply our needs. He will make a way for us where there is no way. He will open doors that no man can shut.

After all these years of watching God at work, I am convinced that He enjoys surprising us. He delights in rewarding our faith with blessings.

God has a special reward for those who trust him and live in faith one day at a time. The Bible calls it a “peace that passes all understanding.”

No matter how severe your problems, you can enjoy rest for your soul – a heavenly comfort and contentment that only God can give. Of course, you can only get it one day at a time. But that is all you need.