Whatever Is Ahead of Me

This morning, after everyone went to school, I sat in my recliner listening to some satellite Christian music. A song played with these words in the chorus, "Whatever is ahead of me I will sing hallelujah." What a great truth to ponder.

The truth is nobody knows what lies in front us. We don't know what will happen in the next hour much less the day, week or the month. For example, Brenda had to get some blood work done today and she was low on gas. She took my truck so I could take her car to get gas in it. Well it just so happened she took my keys with her I had left in the truck. This was not planned. It will be reconciled when we meet for lunch but it is inconvenient for the moment. I write this from the cafe instead of my office.

If you don't believe me that none of us knows what is ahead just as a group of parents, teachers, and students in Connecticut. If they had known what was ahead they would have kept their children home that day. Just ask some movie goers in Colorado. If they had known they would chose a different time or even a different theater all together to see the new Batman movie. Just ask spectators and runners in the Boston Marathon. If they had known they would have sped up the pace or lagged behind so as not to be around the explosions and spectators would have viewed the race from a different position. The same is true for those living in the small town of West, TX after the chemical explosion. If they had known what was coming they might have chosen to be out of town that night or moved to a different town beforehand.

We don't know what is ahead. I often find myself praying this prayer. "Lord, I don't know the future but I know you hold the future."On the same day on one side of town people rejoice and live the high life with the birth of new children and grandchildren. On the other side of town couples grieve still born births and children born with terminal illnesses. We just don't know what lies ahead. A person can devote their lives to working for one company and then show up one day to the news that they are being let go.

We love to dream and plan our plans. We work to see those plans come to fruition but one turn of events could send any of us reeling. We get the doctor's report and suddenly nothing else matters but healing, family, and our souls. This is the nature of life. None of us are immune.

Today could be the greatest day of your life. You get married. You graduate. You get a promotion. You finally close on your dream home. On those days it is easy to sing hallelujah. Today could be one of the worst days of your life. It is much more difficult and I believe naturally impossible to sing hallelujah on those days. God can strengthen and help a person to sing and to genuinely mean hallelujah but that is a supernatural work of the Lord.

God has it under control. He has it under control when my family is blessed and everything is turning out roses. He also has it under control even if trouble and tragedy touch my family. In both cases God deserves my singing hallelujah.

So no matter what is ahead for us today I am resolved to sing hallelujah. I am resolved to worship in the midst of it all. There may be tears at times and there may be multitudes of unanswered questions but I want to worship. I have a sister in Christ that when I see her and ask how she is doing she always responds with, "I am grateful in the midst of it all." What a great response. So today, I say again, "It is still well with my soul." It does not matter what lies ahead. Whatever is ahead of me and you I pray we all have the fortitude of faith to keep singing hallelujah. Some days will be easier than others but may we learn to be grateful in the midst of it all.