Consider what you’re anxious about. Your logical left brain may say, “I’m not anxious! I just want to be prudent.” Your emotional right brain, however, may be all keyed up about something, or many things. How might your anxiety today change if you could experience God in your tomorrow being with you?
Most of the things you worry about will never happen, and worry just saps your energy. But it’s also possible that some of the things you’re anxious about could happen. What if they do? How will you manage? Perhaps there’s a tape in your mind playing over and over, “What are you going to do?”
As we described last time, God lives outside of time. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). God understands time; He created time, and He created us within time. Jesus experienced time when He was here on earth. But because He exists outside of time, to God yesterday is just as “present” as today is.
And so is tomorrow. Time is truly no limitation to Him.
Which means God is in your tomorrow. Already.
God in Your Tomorrow
Intellectually you probably believe God will be with you in your tomorrows. At least you’ve heard that. But your emotional self may have a harder time fully believing and embracing that. Your peace and wellbeing can be helped a lot by letting God’s presence in your tomorrows percolate through all parts of your internal system.
Think of your life as a series of rooms, each day as a new room. Since God exists outside of time He is already in your future. It’s as if He is in the room labelled “tomorrow” and He’s looking back saying to you, “There’s no need for you to worry about tomorrow. I’m already in your tomorrow, I’ve checked it out, and it’s OK. And when you get here I’ll be here already, waiting for you. You’ll never be alone.”
And then He reaches out His hand to take yours, and you walk into tomorrow together. He goes through the door first; He’s already been there anyway. And you follow closely, your hand in His.
That’s exactly what Jesus promised His followers. “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). “For he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5).
Your Cloud of Witnesses
Remember that Jesus did not promise His followers freedom from suffering. He promised them just the opposite: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world” (John 16:33). The early followers of Jesus experienced plenty of suffering. But they also experienced Jesus being with them in each of their tomorrows.
What did that look like?
It looked like Paul writing about “being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.” And immediately he follows with, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:36, 37)
It looked like some of the faith heroes conquering kingdoms, escaping the sword, and receiving dead things back to life, and others being mocked, scourged, imprisoned, killed, and otherwise mistreated (Hebrews 11:33-38). And get this; it’s all the same faith.
It’s looked like followers of Jesus throughout the last 2000+ years experiencing both breakthrough and trouble, with God with them right in the middle of it all.
Experiencing God in Your Tomorrow
So how do you bring your right brain to the party and experience God this way? How do you let this truth change your anxiety? Where are you feeling a bit up-tight right now? It might be:
- The economy is in trouble. Will I have money for me and my family?
- My marriage is in trouble. I can’t figure out how to make it work.
- My health (or my family’s health) is in trouble. I (or they) might not make it.
Imagine tomorrow, and what you worry about is happening.
And then imagine God with you right in the middle of that trouble. The problem might still be there, but you are not alone.
You lose your job, or your house, or your business is in big trouble. But yes, God is right there in the middle of it, with you.
Your relationship falls apart. Yes, God is there with you even though it feels excruciating.
Or your relationship faces some very hard things but God is with you in the journey of forgiveness, repentance, growth, and doing the hard work of healing. God can be trusted with your marriage.
Perhaps the cancer or heart disease does progress. You or someone you love does get sick. Yes, God’s there too, right there with you.
You struggle to figure out what to do in ministry. Oh right; it’s God’s ministry, not yours, and He’s right there with you.
Your child gets in trouble. Yup, God loves your child even more than you do. It’s no surprise to Him. God’s right there, with both you and your child.
And that’s true for tomorrow, and the next day, and every day going forward into your future.
A Theology of Hope
This way of seeing and experiencing God in your future is described as a theology of hope. My seminary dean said, “Ask people about how they see their future and you’ll find out how healed they are.”
God is the One who can bring true healing – to your past, your present, and even your future. You can trust Him with it all.
Your Turn: Can you imagine what it’s like to trust God with your future? Where do you need to experience God in your tomorrow right now? Leave a message below.
Tweetables: why not share this post?
- God made time, but He exists outside of time. That means the future is as present to Him as today is. He’s already in your tomorrow. He’s checked it out. It’s OK. And He’ll be there waiting for you when you get there. Tweet that.
Can’t Talk to Anyone?
Many people feel they have no one they can talk with about their biggest challenges. Loneliness is painful. And dangerous – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. But doing something about it is hard!
I’d love to send you some ideas about some practical small things you can do when you feel you can’t talk to anyone, things that will empower you and just might result in some real connection.
