LATER YOU WILL UNDERSTAND

 

November 14, 2024

John 13:7

“Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

 

In our devotion yesterday, we said that remembering that we are praying to a living and active God, fills us with great trust and confidence. The living God that we worship is the God, we said, who created us (Genesis 1:27), who forgives us (Ephesians 4:32), who saved us (Ephesians 2:8), who promises to protect us (Isaiah 41:10), who has a purposeful plan for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and whose words and action demonstrate he loves us intensely (1 John 4:9-10). When we think about who God is and what God has done, we are overwhelmed by his love and grace.

We know these truths, we know the Bible teaches us these truths, right? However, there are times when we forget His truth and disregard God’s ways. I have not known anyone who in their walk with God has not at some point lost focus and forgotten God’s truth and promises.

At times along the way, we get too caught up in our lives and focus on ourselves, and when this occurs, we forget that God already has things taken care of. This sets the stage for worry. If you have had this experience, you know that when we are in the space of worry, we worry about every little thing in our life, whether it is what we are going to eat for supper, what other people think of us, or some other dread we have. Isn’t it true that we can spend so much time and energy worrying over things that we begin to catastrophize or overemphasize a situation, until we feel out of control.

In those moments, we need to take to heart the words of the bible, “say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution, He will come to save you.” (Isaiah 35:4)

When we feel life is out of control, we take matters into out hands, trying to get our lives “back on track”. We all have a vision for our lives to turn out a certain way. We all have our own plans, and we try to control situations to make our wants and plans a reality. Yet, we “know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) There are times when our plans may not line up with what God has planned. God may want something different for our life and His plan, at least this is what I have found, is always so much better than we could ever imagine for ourselves.

1 Peter 5:6-7 says “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Ultimately, God has a vision and plan for his people “to give us a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11) God brings the right people into our lives at the exact moment that we need them, he brings us opportunities when we are in need of them at the right time. Everything happens in his timing. This is in part, I believe, what Jesus was saying in our verse, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” In His Time, In His Time!

Can you trust God in that promise?

The only thing that we can control in our lives is our faith and our trust in God. If we trust Him and His purpose for our lives, we will see that God is able to deliver on his promises, going “exceedingly abundantly beyond anything we can ever think or imagine.” Yes, it takes patience, trust, and faith, ah, but the payoff is “abundant life.”

“Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.” (Psalm 37:4-6) 

Amen.