The Year 2010

What will the year 2010 bring? The short answer is that I don’t know. I suppose I could rent a crystal ball or check out my horoscope, but I won’t be doing that. The reason I won’t be doing that is because God condemns such things. There are a couple of reasons for that. The first is that all the future God felt we needed to know is written within the pages of the Bible. The second reason has to do with the fact that God wants us to trust each day to Him. We are to walk by faith, not by sight. Whenever we seek other sources to know our future we cease to walk by faith. Romans 14:23 tells us, “…everything that does not come from faith is sin.” That’s not to say we cannot look at the events of our time to get a sense of what the future may hold. But, when we look to sources outside of Scripture to guide our daily living, we are traveling in places God never intended for us. Another reason I’m not going seek help about what happens next is because I don’t really believe anyone knows any better than I do. Much of what is written is written in such broad and general terms that it fits into most anyone’s future. In other words, for the most part it’s all a scam, in general, it’s bogus. James says, “…you don’t even know what will happen tomorrow.”

2010 might bring with it the return of Christ – amen! Even so, Lord Jesus, come! It might be a year of general prosperity, or it may be a year of further economic challenges. For some of us, it will be a year of good health, while others of us will face physical difficulties. Some of us may feel stuck in a rut while others will venture into new territory. While none of us knows what the year may hold let’s think about some things that we can all expect.

First, expect the unexpected. In Genesis 37 we have the story of Joseph heading off to check on his brothers. When he headed out that day he had no idea what lay ahead. He was on an errand of mercy and found himself in chains headed for Egypt as a slave. He certainly had no idea what was waiting for him in Egypt. The one thing he did do was to trust God with his future. As the unexpected traps us in its clutches, may we, too, be willing to put our future in the hands of the Lord.

And, we can expect God to be faithful. Of this we can be certain – God is in control. In Daniel 4:34-35 we read, “His dominion is an eternal dominion; His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as He pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back His hand or say to Him: ‘What have you done?’” This was the conclusion of Nebuchadnezzar after he had tested the hand of God one too many times.

I am also certain of God’s love. Romans 8:35-39 says it all. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Whatever may happen in the year 2010, I can know that God is in control and that He always acts within the confines of His great love.

So while I have no idea what awaits any of us in the year 2010, I know that I have no reason to look for some psychic reading or read the daily horoscope. Without those things, I know that God is working out His will in my life and that’s enough for me.