Saturday, May 28, 2011

But I wanna KNOW....now!

Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth”. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge...  - Psalm 46:10-11
The month of May has been full of horrible weather, catastrophes, international events, endings, new beginnings and all sorts of emotional situations.  We have seen floods and tornados, we’ve seen international fugitives brought to justice, we basked in the afterglow of a royal wedding, our children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews graduated from high school and college and we are looking forward, with some anxiety, some excitement and some trepidation, to an unknown future.
But is it really unknown? And unknown by whom?  As humans, it is our natural inclination to want to know ‘the plan’; to have an understanding of what is coming up ahead so that we can prepare ourselves and make sure we’ve got everything under control.  But the truth is this, the world is uncertain; there are choices to be made and those choices impact our world, and the world around us.  It is impossible to know what the future will hold...except for this:  “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” (Jeremiah 29:11, The Message) These are God’s words as written by the Prophet Jeremiah to the remnant remaining in exile. Those words are for all of God’s people; then and now.  
God’s promises to us to take care of us, not abandon us and to give us a future do not mean that every day will be sunshine and roses. But the promises mean exactly what they say...that God will not abandon us. Through all of the disasters, catastrophes, fighting, celebrating and transitions, we have a God who is faithful to His promises and walks beside us.  As Jesus’ heart was saddened by the death of Lazarus, so is God’s heart saddened by the death of even ONE of His children.  As Jesus celebrated at the Wedding at Cana, so does God celebrate with any of us when we enter into relationships with one another. As Jesus prayed for the Father’s blessing upon the disciples as they began their public ministry without him, so does God bless each one of us as we begin a new chapter in our lives.
The future we hope for is a future full of joy, love and, most of all, eternal life with God in Heaven. That is what is promised to us. Our life here on earth will be one that is full of trials & tribulations, celebrations, endings & new beginnings...through it all, God is here with us.  God is in the devastation, giving us the determination to rebuild. God is in our relationships, giving us the patience and faith to accept and love each other. God is in our endings and new beginnings, giving us the wisdom and courage to begin again.
Be still and know that He is God...our refuge...our promise...and He is here.

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