As I write this article I am sitting in Whitmore Lake, Michigan. I am about 650 miles from home, and I am seeing a state I have never seen before. It is fair to say that there are some things I am used to seeing and some things I just don’t see at home. As we road through Northern Ohio, Indiana, and into Michigan we saw lots of corn fields and wheat fields. We saw long stretches of flat land and we even saw large windmills in Ohio right near the Indiana state line. I don’t routinely see those things as I ride around Gilmer County and North Georgia.
However, I saw orange day lilies, hardwood trees, and even stores for shopping just like I can find in Canton, Dalton, or Dawsonville. Janice and I both noted that we saw more Texas Roadhouse restaurants than we have ever seen on one trip. We saw more of them than we did Dollar Generals! The bottom line is that no matter where you go there will be familiar things and some things that are new.
As we walk out our faith, we will find out that we will encounter days that seem like any other and occasionally we will have days when we experience things we never have before in the faith. To use a baseball illustration, we will find some days that throw us a curve ball! However, we need to remember that nothing surprises God and nothing is new to God. Just because you didn’t see it coming doesn’t mean that God was not aware. He is the Alpha and the Omega; He knows our days beginning and end as well as the number of them. The Psalmist said it this way.
Psalm 139:16 CSB
“Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in your book and planned before a single one of them began.”
I don’t believe God determines our days and we are somehow robots playing out His plans for us. Nor do I believe God simply starts things in motion and is unaware of how it will all play out. God knows everything before it happens so He never has to react or somehow pivot from what He thought would happen. God is in control and ultimately works all of it together for our good and His outcome will be accomplished.
I could stress over what tomorrow may hold; however, I know who holds tomorrow and He is already there. Tomorrow I anticipate going to a Detroit Tigers baseball game, but I have never been to Detroit and I really don’t know what to expect. Some things will be very familiar for sure, but there will be things that are new to me and unique to the Tigers ballpark. However, no matter what happens I know God is with me and I am grateful for the peace of mind that He is still on the throne. Don’t worry about tomorrow, God is already there and He is prepared for what you can’t see coming and will not leave you or forsake.
