At this time of year, it’s pretty common for people to make predictions about the New Year. This happens in the world of business, politics, and even the church.
Some of these predictions are based on deep analytical number crunching, but others are from people claiming to hear from Jesus and having visions from God. And while I live in a world that makes room for both practices, I don’t put too much stock in any predictions made by anyone about the future.
In today’s podcast, I talk about the past year in retrospect, the “prophecies” made about the future, and how we live in a world of uncertainty.
We often attempt to remove this uncertainty by divining the future one way or another. We do this either through complex algorithms that project that past into the future, or stuff that involves a little more “hocus pocus.”
Unfortunately, whatever the method, both prove to be unreliable. The truth of the matter is, we live in a world full of uncertainty, and no matter what our methodology, our ability to predict the future is going to fail us.
And instead of being a person who obsesses about the future and things yet to come, I believe we must focus on being a people of character who make right choices in the present moment. We must act right, right here, right now.
We are called to be a people who dig our roots down deep into the life giving source that we need to weather whatever storm we ultimately face. And in doing such, we will flourish no matter what season of life we eventually find ourselves in.
Ultimately, I don’t need to worry about my future. My future is in the hands of God, who calls me to live out the present moment. And when I focus on being the person God has called me to be, I’ll make my own future. And I’ll be free from the tyranny of business analysts and prophets who make all manner of predictions, many of which ultimately never come to fruition.
Scriptures Cited In Today’s Podcast:
Jeremiah 17:7 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord And whose trust is the Lord. 8 For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit. (NASB)
Psalm 1:1 How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (NASB)
Matthew 6:25 For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (NASB)
