Looking Ahead

The famous painter Paul Gauguin produced an enormous work, over 4 metres wide, which he himself apparently considered his best. It is called ‘Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?’ These are questions we all ask at some point in life, and they can only be answered in God. It’s that last question ‘Where are we going?’ that I want to take a look at today.

On the grounds of Blairmore we have an absolutely enormous tree, which has fallen over in a storm, and now its horizontally positioned trunk is quite fun to walk on. As I was doing so one day recently, I was aware I wasn’t so much looking down at where I’d placed my feet, but was focussing on where I was going. I was looking ahead. In a surprising way, the Lord started speaking to me about the importance of looking at the road ahead.

We’ve probably all heard of terms like ‘living in the moment’ and ‘being present in the now’ and so forth. Of course there’s something to say for this. We can’t always be caught up in either what’s been, or what will be. However, if we forget to look ahead, we’re prone to losing direction, perspective, and possibly, even hope.

As I pondered the question as to what was ahead of me, some things stood out which are true, not only for me, but for every single Christian. First of all, heaven awaits. One day, sooner or later, I’ll see my Father face to face, and all will be made well. What an amazing fact of life! Surely this helps with putting our daily struggles into perspective. But there’s more.

I also realised afresh how much hope I have for this time on earth. Because God’s faithful, and His Spirit’s real, I’ve much to look forward to. For example, when we walk with God, He promises that, as time goes on, we’ll get to know Him more and more. We’ll become more like Him. We’ll be able to bear more fruit in our lives. We’ll be increasingly ‘sanctified’. There really is a whole lot of good news for us.

Though daily challenges present themselves, though we’ll struggle from time to time, though the enemy presses in, and tests might be many and various, all God’s promises still stand. For those of us who are His children, God promises that life can get better and better, as we get to know Him more and more.

I encourage you today to lift up your head and remember the fact that God’s in charge of your life, and He’s working out all things for the good. We might even be so bold as to thank Him for His promises. The enemy seeks to sow discouragement, discontent and frustration. Satan wants us to go around with sagging shoulders and a hanging head. But when we look upward and forward, we give room to God’s Spirit to encourage us, and to speak hope, purpose and life into our hearts.

Prayer: Thank You, God, for all that’s yet to come for me, both on this earth, as well as in eternity. I look forward to seeing how You’ll make Your promises a reality in my life. Amen.