Bible Text: Proverbs 9:11 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. Proverbs 9:11
Transitions in life are never easy. Remember how it was when you were a youngster and you moved from one grade to another or changed neighborhoods when your parents moved? You have that same feeling as an adult when you move from one job to another or change positions at work. Pondering the transition from one year to another leaves you with those same feelings within–a trace of nostalgia, a hint of excitement, and certainly–the smell of fear.
Yet in the wise providence of God there comes a time when you have to close the door on one phase or period of life and make the passage to the next. I understand this. My wife and I are downsizing, moving into a much smaller home, leaving behind the one in which we raised a family. Mixed emotions, yes! There is an interesting phrase found in the book of Acts, chapter 19. Here Luke uses the phrase, “Now after these things were finished,” and he tells how it was time for Paul to leave Ephesus and move towards Jerusalem, even though he had forebodings and even fear in his heart about what lay ahead. Perhaps you have some of those same feelings as you think about the year ahead and what it may portend.
One of the comforting things about the future is that it simply arrives one day at a time. You didn’t awaken at the stroke of 12:01 on the morning of January 1, to the blast of angelic trumpets or the peal of a golden harp as the New Year arrived. The sun slowly painted the clouds pink on the eastern horizon and another day was announced only by the chirping of the birds in the early morn. Another comforting thought is that the great God who met you yesterday is just as present and able to meet you today, no matter what the challenge of tomorrow holds. Because God is timeless, without beginning or end, He is present as an unending reality, to walk with you as a friend, no matter what the future may hold. That’s very good news!
When I go somewhere I’ve never been before, I always want to know what to expect, what it’s like there, and how can I prepare for what I will face upon arrival, and avail myself of the best information available.
In a real sense, that’s the way it is as we ponder the future. There is no information better than that coming from someone who has first-hand experience. I’ve come to observe that many of the prophecies or prognostications about the coming New Year are often inaccurate. There is, however, a voice you can trust, and a book that has been proven reliable as a guide to tomorrow. It is the Bible–still the bestselling document in most of the world. This remarkable book gives amazing insights as to what the future holds, not in broad generalities, but in great detail. The scenario in the Middle East, for example, is coming into rapid focus exactly as the prophets foretold 2800 years ago.
That’s part of the reason you can trust our Heavenly Father to give you guidance and direction when it comes to the little decisions of life–what I call the “rice and fish” or “bread and butter” decisions of life. For some of you, tomorrow is a great big question mark, and even acknowledging it creates fear in your heart. You’d as soon trust a fortune cookie as your own instincts. Today’s commentary is just for you. Reach out and take the strong hand of God and realize that He can walk with you–day by day.
Resource reading: 2 Peter 3:10-18
