Keep It Simple
Dear Friends,
Sometimes the most simple things can have the most profound effect. Such was the case for me recently as I was contemplating some big changes that are coming up for our church family. The “contemplating of the changes” was making me feel anxious about the future, because God is clearly moving our church in a new direction - we’re just not sure what that direction is. So there are lots of details we don’t know, and plans we can’t make, and assurances I can’t give to people. Thus the increasing sense of anxiety as I consider the future.
This is where the simple things come in. As I was feeling my anxiety rise, I remembered a quote from Christian author C.S. Lewis that says: “We don’t need to learn new things as much as be reminded of what we already know.” It was such a simple reminder for me to stop focusing on what I don’t know, and instead, focus on what I do know.
So what do I know? Well, the list I came up with is long - but here it is, in no particular order:
I know God is good.
I know He will provide.
I know I can trust Him.
I know He cares about me.
I know I can be reconciled to Him through the death of Jesus Christ.
I know I can have daily forgiveness of my sins.
I know He can redeem my mistakes.
I know He will be with me wherever I go.
I know He will give me a constant helper - in the form of the Holy Spirit.
I know He will provide for my daily needs.
I know He will listen to, and answer my prayers according to His will.
I know He will comfort me when I need it.
I know He will give me a way to resist, and escape temptation.
And I know I have a place in heaven, and eternal life with Him.
That’s the list I came up with, just off the top of my head. And I know I could come up with more things I know to be true about God, if I spent more time on it. But this was enough for me today, because each of these truths are not only given to me by God’s word, but they are truths that I’ve already seen God carry out in my life. He has been faithful in the past, so I’m confident He will be again, according to His good and perfect plans for me, and for our church, and for those of you who are reading this right now.
So, join me today in remembering what we already know. Let’s take time to think through all that God has promised us, and then let's consider all the ways that He’s already fulfilled those promises in our lives. And then let’s move forward with whatever we have in front of us, confident that God does not change who He is, or His faithfulness to us.
Amen?
Daniel