Some of you may remember the old “I Dream of Jeannie” television series from the 1960’s. One day I found myself watching an episode where Major Nelson was being transferred to another job far away, which of course brought sorrow to both Jeannie, and his buddy, Major Healey. So together, they concocted a plan to let Major Nelson peer into a movie machine that showed the future, hoping that this would help him see the pitfalls of accepting this new position and change his mind.
Unfortunately, the future looked pretty promising. The job had many perks, including gorgeous secretaries at Major Nelson’s disposal. Of course that would never do! So Jeannie blinked up some of her magic and showed him a false future, one filled with unbelievable trials, and disasters. It was a peer into the future, but none of it was true.
As I sat watching the show I couldn’t help but wonder about my visions of the future, and question who was controlling my movie machine? What we see now is but a slice in time, and when we try to deduce what the future will look like, it can be pretty terrifying, especially when Satan is running the projector. The last thing our enemy wants, is for us to have hope. If we have hope then his power to manipulate and control us decreases.
Instead, we must allow God to guide us in his truth: “For you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalms 25:5). When we rest on an all-powerful God, the serpent is rendered ineffective in our lives and in our minds.
God’s word has opinions regarding our feeble attempts at future peering. It was Jesus who said, “Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34). We are instead asked to rest on the promises that God has for our future. In Jeremiah 29:11 we read, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
There are many times throughout the day when my mind starts to gaze ahead and daydream upon possible realities that haven’t even transpired. They scare me, and they cause me to question a good and loving God. But in reality, no one could have predicted the benefits of tossing Joseph in prison, forcing Esther into a dangerous decision, or trapping an entire nation of escaping Hebrews up against a sea. It’s in those “didn’t see that coming” moments, that trust is essential for our survival.
Dear Lord, let us fix our gaze upon you, the finisher and perfecter of our faith. Jesus please clear our minds of dark thoughts, and replace them with your truth. Teach us to trust in your ways that are far above anything we could ever imagine. Amen
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