Thinking About the Future

Thinking About the Future

Devotional Thought

by Pastor Shawn Boonstra

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:31-34)

I read an interesting story a while ago about a man who had lived deep in the jungles of Africa. As he was visiting the plains for the first time, he suddenly spotted movement on the horizon. Turning to his guide, he asked, “What kind of insect is that over there?”

In actuality, it wasn’t an insect at all. It was a large animal off in the distance. This man just wasn’t used to seeing things at a distance, and his brain completely misinterpreted what he was seeing.

Now, in kind of the same way, we have a lot of trouble seeing the future with any kind of clarity. Think about the times you really looked forward to something a year or two down the road, but when it actually happened, the experience was more than a little disappointing. Or think about the times that huge problems seemed to be looming in the future, but when it came time to deal with the inevitable, the problem didn’t look so big anymore.

Human beings seem to be the only creatures capable of imagining the future in any meaningful way. But because of our limited knowledge and experience, we can’t always see what’s in the distance with clarity. In the passage above, Jesus reminds us to have a little faith when it comes to the future—trusting that the One who knows the end from the beginning is able to help us live life with a reasonable amount of peace of mind.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t lay plans or think about the future. Other parts of the Bible make it perfectly clear that God expects you to do a reasonable amount of planning. The book of Proverbs, for example, encourages us to consider the ant, which spends time planning for hard times ahead. But the sort of obsession that keeps you awake at night worrying about the future is not part of God’s plan for human existence.

Now, believe me, when it comes to this, I know what I’m talking about. This preacher needs to know this more than just about anybody else, because I’m clearly guilty of worrying too much about what’s coming down the pike.

Again, a little bit of worry isn’t always bad. But Jesus reminds us to rest in the fact that our Heavenly Father knows. He can see what’s coming much better than you can. You know that He’s not going to let anything happen that would ultimately rob you of your eternal future with Him.

And of course, leaving the worry with God not only buys you a better night’s sleep, but it’s also a better way to live.

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