Facing the Future With Faith

I’ve been accused of carrying my grandchildren way more than I ‘should.’

When they were tired, I scooped them up. If one was unruly, I held him so he wouldn’t be tempted to do something he’d regret. But sometimes I carried my grandchildren simply because I wanted to feel them near me.

I like to think that’s how God carries us.

Looking back

God’s people had wandered for 38 years in the ‘great and terrible wilderness.’ They’d been unruly, pouty, and disobedient. In a nutshell, they’d refused to trust God completely, and their attitude showed it.

Now it was time to take on the giants they’d feared so they could finally enter the Promised Land. But they still had trust issues. They were still afraid.

That’s when Moses reminded them “the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son all along the way you traveled until you reached this place” (Deuteronomy 1:3, HCSB).

There was nothing God’s people needed that He hadn’t provided. In fact, Moses later pointed out, “for forty years God has led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes haven’t become old, and your shoes haven’t worn out!” (Deuteronomy 29:5, TLB).

When our faith is weak and our fears get the best of us, it does us a world of good to look back. That’s how we see God’s undeniable faithfulness. And that’s how we recognize how faithfully He’s carried us every step of the way.

Moving forward

Sometimes we tend to think if times are hard, God has left us. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Looking back, I can see clearly how―in the hardest seasons of my life―God held me. Even when I wrestled with Him, He didn’t drop me. When I doubted and whined, He never let go of me. And no matter how daunting my circumstances were, I never grew too heavy for Him.

For many of us, this past year has been hard. But no matter what 2020 looked like for us, God has never left us. He’s been good, faithful, and true.

Facing the future with faith is possible because “We don’t know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future.” I’ll take that a step farther and say, “We also know Who holds us.”

No matter how many uncertainties we face, God is greater than the giants in front of us. He loves us and He’ll take care of us.

Facing the future with faith begins with trusting God. We don’t have to worry about doing life alone. If we’re in Christ, our Heavenly Father has us in His arms.

That’s why we can take hold of His promises, step out in faith, and walk forward with the assurance that our faithful God will carry us all the way through.