“They said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?’” – Exodus 14:11
Sometimes it can be hard to embrace our God-given future! The past, even when it was degrading, miserable, and full of failure, still tugs at our hearts because we love the familiar, the comfortable, and the known. We re-imagine the drudgery of the past as a mythical golden age, forgetting the bad parts, and we long to return. Too bad!
God seldom calls us to just stay where we are as we are. In calling us to follow Jesus, He calls us to change every day. He calls us to move forward into a future that isn’t clearly understood and is deeply uncomfortable because every step is unfamiliar.
Like the Israelites, when danger looms along our unfamiliar journey of faith into the future, we often fear the worst and long to turn back the clock, retreating into the comfortable past. That isn’t how the world works and that certainly isn’t how God works! There is no going back. In fact, God is most glorified when we move boldly forward into the future, following Jesus into the unknown. Why?
Because it’s as we step into the future, facing new and unfamiliar dangers, that we’re forced to truly walk with God, following Jesus rather than running ahead, lagging behind, or wandering off to the sides. As we follow Jesus into the future, afraid and uncomfortable, we’re forced to truly depend on God rather than ourselves. Our eyes are opened to His active engagement in the world and in our lives. Ultimately we learn that His plans and vision are far greater than ours.
We grow. God is revealed and glorified. It’s a win all around, but it still makes us uncomfortable, afraid, melodramatic, and longing to retreat. That’s why, as we face the future each day, we must remind ourselves of the words of Jesus, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
#FOLLOWJESUS
NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on February 13, 2020.