Facing the Future with Faith

Psalm 31:14-15

But I trust in you, O Lord;
I say, "You are my God."
My times are in your hands;
deliver me from my enemies.

Pastor David Vetter

We just entered both a new year and a new decade, and we are forced to face the future. That is not an easy thing for us to do, because our future is unknown and uncertain. The economic future of our own nation is very uncertain. We may face unemployment, wondering when we’re going to find a job. Others of us are wondering if our jobs are secure. So how we do face the future when we’re living in uncertain times? We can face the future with either fear or faith.

When David wrote Psalm 31 he was facing an unknown and uncertain future. According to verse 13, people were slandering him and plotting to take his life. David was probably referring to King Saul. Saul sent out his army to hunt David down like a wild animal. As a result, David was forced to hide in mountains and caves; he had every reason to face the future with fear. As David states in Psalm 31:13, “There is terror on every side.” In other words, he had many reasons to be afraid. Many of us may feel the same way as we face the future.

However, instead of being afraid, David made the choice to face the future with faith in God. “I trust in You, O Lord. I say, ‘You are my God’ ” (Psalm 31:14). Then in the next verse he makes this great statement of faith: “My times are in Your hands.” This is why David could face the future with faith instead of fear—he knew that his future was in God’s hands.

Dan Crawford, a pioneer missionary in Africa, once said that “my times are in Your hands” meant that “my life’s ways and whens and wheres and whys are in God’s hands.” He’s right. When, like David, we make the choice to trust God and place our future in His hands it means that we trust Him with all the details of our lives. That includes facing an uncertain future.

As most of you know, Jo Griswold’s daughter-in-law, Tina Griswold, was among four Lakeland, Washington police officers shot and killed on November 29th, 2009. As a result, Tina’s eight-year-old son, Marcus, found himself facing a very uncertain future. Jo’s son, Paul, had not yet adopted Marcus. So the boy’s biological father obtained custody of him. Marcus had memorized Psalm 31:14,15a. In fact, he quoted it to Jo after she arrived in Washington State following the tragedy. He also quoted another related verse of Scripture—Isaiah 41:10, in which God Himself tells us, “Do not fear, for I am with You; do not be dismayed, for I am Your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” I am sure that recalling those verses of Scripture will help Marcus face his future with faith instead of fear. I hope they will help us in the same way.

As we face the future, we all have many reasons to be afraid. After all, the future is always uncertain and unknown. However, the good news is that when God is a part of our lives we don’t have to face the future with fear. Instead, like David, we can face the future with faith because we know that our future is in God’s hands. And when our future is in God’s hands, we know it’s in good hands! Yes, we can trust God with our future.

I like how the song writer Ira Stanphill put it:
“Many things about tomorrow I don’t seem to understand
But I know Who holds tomorrow and I know Who holds my hand.”

Amen.

In His service, Pastor David Vetter

Pastor David Vetter