Embracing the Present: Trusting God's Perfect Timing

 

Summary

In our journey through life, we often find ourselves yearning to know what the future holds. This desire to peer into the unknown has led many to seek out signs and predictions, often falling prey to those who claim to have such knowledge. However, it is crucial to understand that the future is intentionally hidden from us by God. This concealment is not a punishment but a blessing, designed to keep us focused on the present and reliant on God’s guidance. The present moment is where our strength and service to God are most needed. By concentrating on the now, we ensure a future that is both holy and fulfilling.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has orchestrated every detail of our lives. He knows the end from the beginning, and nothing takes Him by surprise. This divine orchestration should bring us comfort, knowing that our lives are in the hands of a loving and sovereign God. While we may not understand the intricacies of predestination and free will, we can trust that God’s plans are perfect and for our ultimate good. Our task is to trust Him, even when the path is unclear.

The unpredictability of life adds a richness and excitement to our journey. If we knew every detail of our future, life would lose its vibrancy and become monotonous. The unexpected blessings and challenges we encounter are part of God’s plan to shape us and draw us closer to Him. We are reminded to live by faith, trusting in God’s provision and timing. Our daily prayer should be for our daily needs, relying on God’s constant mercy and grace.

As we navigate through trials and tribulations, we must remember that God has appointed a time for everything. Whether it is the end of a particular struggle or the culmination of our life’s work, God’s timing is perfect. We are encouraged to remain steadfast, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. The end of our earthly journey will bring us into the presence of God, where we will experience eternal joy and peace.

For those who have not yet reconciled with God, the future holds a different promise. The end will come, and it will be a time of reckoning. Therefore, it is imperative to seek reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ. In doing so, we align ourselves with God’s purpose and find peace in His sovereign plan.

Key Takeaways:

1. The Present is Our Focus: God has hidden the future to keep us focused on the present, where our service and strength are most needed. By living in the now, we ensure a future that aligns with God’s will. [02:14]

2. God’s Sovereignty and Our Trust: Every detail of our lives is orchestrated by God, who knows the end from the beginning. This should bring us comfort and encourage us to trust in His perfect plans. [11:17]

3. The Beauty of Uncertainty: Life’s unpredictability adds excitement and depth to our journey. By embracing the unknown, we learn to rely on God’s provision and timing. [03:28]

4. Appointed Times for Everything: God has set a time for every event in our lives, including the end of our struggles and the fulfillment of our work. We are called to remain steadfast and trust in His timing. [21:18]

5. Reconciliation with God: For those not reconciled with God, the future holds a time of reckoning. It is crucial to seek reconciliation through faith in Jesus Christ to align with God’s purpose and find peace. [40:13]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:14] - Human Nature's Curiosity
- [01:28] - The Hidden Future
- [02:14] - Focus on the Present
- [03:28] - The Beauty of Uncertainty
- [04:40] - Predestination and Free Will
- [06:17] - Trust in God's Sovereignty
- [09:35] - Daily Reliance on God
- [11:17] - God's Orchestration
- [13:39] - Predestination vs. Fate
- [15:16] - Comfort in God's Plan
- [21:18] - Appointed Times
- [26:57] - Life's Battle and Service
- [33:14] - The End of Suffering
- [39:30] - Reconciliation with God

Study Guide

### Bible Study Discussion Guide

#### Bible Reading
- Daniel 8:19: "At the time appointed the end shall be."

#### Observation Questions
1. What does Daniel 8:19 suggest about God's control over time and events?
2. According to the sermon, why is the future hidden from us? ([01:28])
3. How does the unpredictability of life contribute to our spiritual journey, as mentioned in the sermon? ([03:28])
4. What role does God's sovereignty play in the orchestration of our lives, according to the sermon? ([11:17])

#### Interpretation Questions
1. How does the concept of God's appointed times in Daniel 8:19 relate to the idea of trusting in God's timing during personal trials? ([21:18])
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the hidden future is a blessing rather than a curse? ([01:28])
3. How does the sermon reconcile the ideas of predestination and free will? ([06:17])
4. What does the sermon imply about the relationship between living in the present and ensuring a future aligned with God's will? ([02:14])

#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you were anxious about the future. How can you apply the sermon’s teaching to focus more on the present? ([02:14])
2. How can you cultivate trust in God's sovereignty in areas of your life where the path seems unclear? ([11:17])
3. What unexpected blessings have you experienced that have strengthened your faith? How can you remain open to such surprises in the future? ([03:28])
4. Consider a current struggle you are facing. How can you remind yourself that God has appointed a time for its resolution? ([21:18])
5. If you have not reconciled with God, what steps can you take to seek reconciliation through faith in Jesus Christ? ([40:13])
6. Identify one area in your life where you can practice living by faith rather than by sight. What practical steps can you take this week to rely more on God's provision and timing? ([09:35])
7. How can you encourage others in your community to trust in God's perfect plans, especially during times of uncertainty? ([11:17])

Devotional

Day 1: Embrace the Present Moment
The future is hidden from us by God, not as a punishment but as a blessing. This concealment encourages us to focus on the present, where our strength and service to God are most needed. By living in the now, we ensure a future that aligns with God’s will. The present moment is where we can make the most impact, and it is where God calls us to be attentive and active. Trusting in God’s guidance today allows us to build a future that is both holy and fulfilling. [02:14]

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:34, ESV)

Reflection: What is one way you can be more present in your daily life today, focusing on the tasks and people God has placed before you?


Day 2: Trust in God’s Sovereignty
Every detail of our lives is orchestrated by God, who knows the end from the beginning. This divine orchestration should bring us comfort, knowing that our lives are in the hands of a loving and sovereign God. While we may not understand the intricacies of predestination and free will, we can trust that God’s plans are perfect and for our ultimate good. Our task is to trust Him, even when the path is unclear. [11:17]

"Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand." (Proverbs 19:21, ESV)

Reflection: In what area of your life do you struggle to trust God's sovereignty, and how can you begin to surrender that area to Him today?


Day 3: Find Beauty in Life’s Uncertainty
The unpredictability of life adds a richness and excitement to our journey. If we knew every detail of our future, life would lose its vibrancy and become monotonous. The unexpected blessings and challenges we encounter are part of God’s plan to shape us and draw us closer to Him. We are reminded to live by faith, trusting in God’s provision and timing. Our daily prayer should be for our daily needs, relying on God’s constant mercy and grace. [03:28]

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6, ESV)

Reflection: How can you embrace the uncertainty in your life as an opportunity to deepen your faith and reliance on God?


Day 4: Trust in God’s Perfect Timing
God has appointed a time for everything. Whether it is the end of a particular struggle or the culmination of our life’s work, God’s timing is perfect. We are encouraged to remain steadfast, knowing that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. The end of our earthly journey will bring us into the presence of God, where we will experience eternal joy and peace. [21:18]

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to trust God's timing, and how can you practice patience and faithfulness in that area today?


Day 5: Seek Reconciliation with God
For those who have not yet reconciled with God, the future holds a different promise. The end will come, and it will be a time of reckoning. Therefore, it is imperative to seek reconciliation with God through faith in Jesus Christ. In doing so, we align ourselves with God’s purpose and find peace in His sovereign plan. [40:13]

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: Is there an area of your life where you need to seek reconciliation with God, and what steps can you take today to begin that process through faith in Jesus Christ?

Quotes


Why is it that the future is thus shut out from our view? Is it not because the present is enough to occupy our talents rightly to serve our God in this present hour? We'll take all the strength we have and all the strength we can obtain from God. Sufficient unto the day is not only the evil thereof but the service thereof. [00:02:08]

God has concealed the future from us probably with a view to relieve our career through the world of dull monotony and infuse into it new phases of stirring interest. Life would not wear such a lively aspect if it were all spread out in a map before us on the day of the commencement of our pilgrimage. [00:03:28]

Now I believe in predestination, yeah, even in its very jots and tittles. I believe that the path of a single grain of dust in the March wind is ordained and settled by a decree which cannot be violated, that every word and thought of man, every flittering of a sparrow's wing, every flight of a fly, the crawling of a beetle, the gliding of a fish in the depth of the sea, that everything in fact is foreknown and foreordained. [00:04:40]

Nothing shall happen to us which God has not foreseen. No unexpected event shall destroy his plans, no emergency shall transpire for which he is not provided, no peril shall occur against which he has not guarded. There shall come no remarkable want which shall take him by surprise. He seeth the end from the beginning and the things that are not as though they were. [00:10:57]

We shall have to go on praying, give us this day our daily bread. We shall have to continue living upon the manner that drops by the day and upon the strength which shall be sufficient for the daily need. It is as we often sing, day by day the manner fell, oh to learn this lesson well, still by constant mercy fed, give me Lord my daily bread. [00:09:35]

It is however important for us to remember two or three things with regard to the future. First, that all in the future is appointed, that especially those desirable ends we are looking for are the subjects of appointment. At an in connection with those ends and those events there are certain appointments of mercy which should give us comfort tonight. [00:20:18]

At the time appointed the end shall be. You have been slandered in your character, a very frequent trial to God's servants, and you are irritated and vexed and in a great haste to answer it, to rebut the column knee and to vindicate your reputation. Be still, be very quiet, and patient, bear it all, stand still and see the salvation of God. [00:21:18]

Trust in the Lord and do good so shall thou dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed. The Ravens are fed at this day as they were in David's day, and he that feeds the Ravens will not let his children starve. Patiently wait the appointed time, industriously seek to find it but still with patience submit to the Divine will. [00:23:30]

Life is to the genuine Christian an incessant fight. The moment we are converted the battle begins. We think sometimes that corruption will be destroyed and that we shall find no indwelling sin to beset us. I have heard some of God's servants talk about indwelling sin being destroyed in them. I only wish I could have any hope that it would be so in me. [00:26:57]

I commend this positive certainty to you with the utmost confidence. Everything in the future is appointed by God. As men you will account it reasonable, as disciples you will believe it, for it is plainly revealed and as Christians I trust you may rejoice in it heartily for it must be a theme of rejoicing that all is in the hand of the great king. [00:20:14]

For if not living and dying is Thou Art the events that shall transpire will grow worse and worse to thee. All that shall happen in the future, especially in eternity, will bring the only woe after woe and thou Wilt forever have to cry one woe is past and behold another woke cometh and yet another like job's Messengers, thy miseries will follow at each other's heels. [00:40:13]

And if that would be reconciled believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, trust Christ with thy soul, trust him implicitly, trust him sincerely, trust him just now, and thou art reconciled at once and then henceforth the great and terrible wheels of Providence have no Terror for thee, for all things work together for good to them that love God to them that are the called according to his purpose. [00:41:13]

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Transcript
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