The God of the Unknown

This morning Brenda was sitting in her car praying and enjoying some time with the Lord before she went into work. As she prayed about holding onto God's ray of hope she looked up and a ray of sunshine peered through the overcast clouds. She sensed this to be encouragement from God that He is present with her all the time.

God is the God of the unknown. There are many days when life looks cloudy and gloomy. There are days when we wonder if God will ever show Himself on our behalves again like people wonder if the sun will shine again after several days of rain. The truth is the sun is still shining behind those clouds. All you have to do is hop on board an airplane and lift off the ground above the clouds to see the sun is indeed shining like it always is.

Today God is still present, in fact He is not only present, but a very present help in times of trouble. [Ps 46:1] On the day of trouble we can call out to Him and He will be there for us. [Ps 50:15] Therefore we have nothing to fear for God will not only uphold us but He will also strengthen us and help us in our time of need. [Is 41:10]

Many times I have started my day in prayer saying, "Lord, I do not know what this day holds but I do know you hold this day." He is the God of the unknown. We plan and form strategies but unexpected things happen all the time. I was hit square between the eyes this week with one those of un-expectancies. I never saw it coming but God did. God knows all. He is aware and since He never slumbers I can trust that He will handle it.

He will do what He always does. He will come through. Now some of you reading this will take issue with that last statement. From your perspective it looks like God failed. It looks like He did not show up nor did He intervene when you most needed Him. It appears to you God did not help at all. The grave marker is the proof. The loss of job is your evidence. The foreclosure on your home tells your heart and mind a different story than the one I am proposing.

From your perspective the skies look dark and it appears the sun has quit shining. It appears God failed you. That is your perspective but let's look from a different point of view. True your loved one did die. Did God fail them from their perspective. I am thinking of several people now rejoicing in the presence of Jesus. They have a different perspective than us. They have it better than we do. Death proved to be gain for them. Though we suffered loss they experience gain like we could never imagine this side of Heaven.

Maybe you did indeed lose your job and you are finding employment difficult to gain now. With one spoken word God can open a door on a new career. What looks ominous could indeed turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I lost a job as a pastor once and learned more about prayer and God's love in the next eighteen months than I had ever learned before. Some of the things I learned then are helping me now as I pastor this new church plant. God knows what He is doing.

God knows the future. Now, Paul's future included prison and martyrdom and yet he wrote, For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Paul trusted God with his future even when the outcome seemed unsure. Even in prison he could write about the peace of God that surpasses understanding. [Phil 4:6-7]

You may not know what is ahead or if and when what you are currently going through will ever end. It may appear the sun is not shining and God is no longer ruling. I assure you the sun still shines even on this overcast day in Wise County and God still sits firmly in control on the throne of the universe.

It comes down to a choice. Will I trust God whom I cannot see with the outcome I cannot know for sure except by faith? I am comforted knowing I do not have to know the answers to all of life's un-expectedancies. God does and I will rest in that truth. He is still the God of the unknown.