The God of My Future Problems
- Updated Jun 19, 2009
It’s hard to believe, but we’re almost halfway through 2009. What will the rest of this year bring? Will the economy turn around? What will happen in the Middle East? And what will happen to us personally? No one knows but God.
It happened not long after I returned
from Belize in 1992. While rummaging through an accumulated mountain of
mail, I came across an article about “the prevenient grace of God.” The
phrase refers to “the grace that goes before.” Here’s a working
definition: “In every situation of life God is already at work before
I get there. He is working creatively, strategically and redemptively
for my good and his glory.”
Wow! So many times I tend to limit
my thinking to the fact that God’s presence goes with me as I go
through life. That’s true, but it’s only part of the story. He’s not
only with me now, he’s already way up the road ahead of me.
Think
about it this way: While I am struggling with the problems of today,
God is hard at work providing solutions for the things I am going to
face tomorrow. He’s already there, working creatively in situations I have yet to face, preparing them for me and me for them.
Or
to say it another way: While I’m living in Tuesday, he’s clearing the
road for me on Friday. That’s what Proverbs 3:6 means when it says that
“He will make your paths straight.”
Or to say it yet another
way: God is already at work providing solutions for problems I don’t
even know I have yet! That blows my mind.
Are you worried about
next week? Forget it. He’s already there. How about the rest of 2009?
Don’t sweat it. He’s already there. What about that crucial meeting
next week? Sleep well. He’s already there. What about that tough decision that looms ahead of you? Fear not. He’s already there.
It
would be enough if God simply walked with you through the events of
life. But he does much more than that. He goes ahead of you, clearing
the way, arranging the details of life, so that when you get there, you
can have confidence that God has already been there before you.
That’s
the prevenient grace of God. He goes before his people. He’s at work in
the future while we live in the present. With that encouraging
thought, I wish you a very good day.
You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.