Who Holds the Future
Several families from our church gathered again on Tuesday night this week at the Alabaster movie theater, which has turned into a bit of a summer tradition. The Tuesday night special of discounted tickets, popcorn and drinks make it a little easier for families to catch a movie, and it's been a good time of impromptu fellowship before and after the showings. I am sure there are more movie nights planned, and you should come join the Shelby Crossings crew one Tuesday.
We saw Young Washington this week, which was a good flick. It was an inspiring story about the early life of George Washington, especially appropriate for our nation's 250th birthday week. And it was clean, which is more than you can say for most movies these days. It's always funny to me watching historical movies, because--and I don't want to spoil it here--but we already know how things are going to turn out. So even when young George's life was in great danger, I never really was worried that he wasn't going to make it. Mainly because I know what eventually happened with "old Washington."
In that light, a central theme and emphasis of the movie was God's providence working in the details of George's life. His mother reminded him of that when things weren't going his way, that God was in control and He had a plan even if he couldn't see it. It's a good lesson for all of us. It's so easy to forget when you are in the middle of something that God is at work in our lives behind the scenes, bringing about His good will.
And that idea reminded me of a story I heard recently about a man who was the only survivor of a shipwreck, and was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but no help came. He eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.
But then one day, when he was out scavenging for food, a thunderstorm arose. When he arrived back "home" he found his little hut in flames, having been struck by lightning. Everything he had was lost. It was grief added to grief, insult on top of injury.
"God, how could you do this to me?!" he cried out.
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him.
"How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
You never know how God may be at work in your circumstances, even when, on the surface, everything seems to be going against you. It's hard to feel good about those negative things that happen to us, in the moment, but we have to trust that the God who is sovereign over all--and who loves us more than we can even comprehend--is working out the details. We just aren't able to see the big picture as He does, but that's where faith comes in.
Unlike the movies, we can't know how our own stories are going to turn out, but we do know that the God who loves us enough to sacrifice His own Son for us has a plan. As the old saying goes, we don't know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future. And He is good.
I am praying for you, as I trust you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
