An Unknown Future, a Known God

Dear Diary, 25 August 2012

"Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."
-Corrie Ten Boom

Sometimes, it's hard to wholly trust God, especially when something you want so badly is just within your grasp. Last night, my youth pastor told us that prayer isn't a plea that we will change God's will, it's a desire to become more in line with what His plan already is. As the 19th century philosopher Kierkegaard said, "The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays." Although Soren meant the comment as criticism, he actually struck a true chord. As Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

It's easy to view praying as asking God to go your way. With that mindset, it's easy to be let down. You put so much faith in the influence of these little prayers you're firing away, and when things don't turn out the way you wanted, the fingers automatically point to God.

But think for a minute, God is the Creator of the Universe. He mapped out everything to work perfectly and completely to each purpose. It is He "who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see." (1 Tim 6:16).  In comparison to such greatness, we, as a fallen people, are small and inexplicably meager. Who are we to try and alter the course of time that He has so brilliantly orchestrated? Therefore, we should instead use prayer as a recognition of our own ignorance: to plead with God to help us understand everything that is happening to us and to get through it with faith and diligence.

God isn't the game-maker upstairs working viciously to whip us into perfect shape by moving the pieces of our lives into proverbial checkmates. No, He doesn't want to stump us. He wants us to teach us. Remember, "at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." (Rom 5:6). That's us! So let's "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." (Hebrews 4:16). Doesn't that sound better than trying to figure out a way for everything to turn out well for our own interests and also to convince God to fulfill our order? I think so.

This isn't a full-proof guarantee that everything in your life will work out peachy. Ultimately, we know our lives will end in perfection for us who believe in Jesus as our Savior, but I've always been comforted by this one line from the movie Love Comes Softly. "Missy could fall down and hurt herself, even if I'm walking right there beside her. That doesn't mean that I allowed it to happen. She knows, as far as unconditional love, I'll pick her up and I'll carry her. I'll try to heal her. I'll cry when she cries. And I'll rejoice when she is well. In all the moments of my life, God has been right there beside me. The truth of God's love is not that He allows bad things to happen. It's His promise that He'll be there with us when they do."