Lately, I’ve caught myself worrying at times about the future—particularly about financial issues. For decades I had tended to put all my focus and passion into the present, leaving the challenges of the future for when they became the challenges of today. But I began to recognize the need to plan and prepare for the future the best I could, while trusting in God for all that only He can do. It became a bit of a struggle between trusting in the God factor, which has always been the trump card in the deck for the past 30+ years of my life, or trying to come up with new strategies to win the hand.
Then I had the opportunity to attend a conference in the downtown area of Baltimore, Maryland. I could see how hard the recession had hit, as so many people were wandering the streets homeless. Others were caught up in drugs and a hopeless life, and when we later drove through the city, we saw its many tenements. The cycle of poverty and despair in the midst of a first world nation was heartbreaking.
The driver of the taxi that took us to the airport after the conference was from Ethiopia. He had only been in the US for a short time, and was evidently eager to please and earn his wages. His face lit up when we explained that we had served as missionaries in several countries. He was also a Christian, and we had a wonderful time sharing our faith and experiences in living our faith.
He explained that his church supported five missionaries in Ethiopia, which enabled them to preach the gospel. They had had great success, he said, in planting churches, even among their Muslim countrymen. I was curious about the secret of their successful church-planting.
He told us the story of the missionaries in Ethiopia who in years past had walked hundreds of kilometers throughout the country, carrying the message of salvation and faith to villages and towns. These missionaries went shoeless once their shoes wore out, walking barefoot from village to village, so determined were they to bring the good news, so great was their love for their fellow countrymen. They chose to be content and passionate about their calling, even while lacking some of their basic “food and clothing” needs (1 Timothy 6:8).
The Lord has promised to supply our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19), and He didn’t fail to supply theirs either, and they continued faithful to their calling. They have seen the reward for their labors in their many countrymen who have been brought to the Lord through this undeniable testimony of love, of people who were willing to sacrifice their own basic comfort to share God’s love with others. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation” (Isaiah 52:7 NIV).
Needless to say, that was food for thought. My worries seemed puny in comparison with the challenges of these African missionaries. I felt a keen awareness that the Lord had chosen to speak to me through this fellow Christian as a reminder to me of His care and unfailing presence in my life.
Afterwards I pondered on how excellent His loving kindness has been throughout my life and continues to be today. He has never failed to care for me and my loved ones, in sickness and in health, in the good times and the not-so-good times, when we’ve abased and abounded, in life and in death. God has been true to His word, and His promises are just as trustworthy and true as they ever were. As the Psalm says, “How precious is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Psalm 36:7–9 NIV).
The future continues to loom large at times, and I occasionally wonder how it will all fit together. But I’ve found His peace in the knowledge that “I know whom I have believed and I am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him”—my life and future, and that of my loved ones—“until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV). He’s never failed to hold my present, my future, and my well-being in His hands. Why would He fail me now or in the days to come?
Faith in God is still the winning hand, even when new strategies are needed for the future. It’s a relief to know that He’s always looking out for us and we can dwell in safety under the shadow of His wings—the shelter of His unfailing promises. The God factor is still the trump card in the deck.