How Little We Know
Do you know how little you know?
We don’t actually know as much as we think we know. And we certainly don’t know as much as we would like to know.
I’m sorry to hurt your feelings, but the sense we often try to make of the situations, locations, and relationships of our everyday lives is sometimes simply nonsense!
Some of this nonsense is caused by the selfishness of our sin. We tend to make a bit of a mess of our lives because of arrogance, the pursuit of self-glory, entitlement, and desire.
But the other reason is simply that we’re finite and human, not eternal and divine. Yet we try to understand and decipher the hidden will of God, or worse, tell ourselves that we’re smarter and wiser than the Sovereign Creator King of the universe.
I love and am humbled again and again by the interaction in Job chapters 38 through 40. God answers Job out of the whirlwind and asks, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (38:4) It continues for two chapters, drawing the creature / Creator line of distinction in bold strokes. It is a stunning description of God’s grandeur and our smallness.
When was the last time you meditated on how little you know and how few things you can control? This sounds like a discouraging practice, but I actually find tremendous comfort in it.
Consider the story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his jealous brothers in Genesis 37. We tend to minimize the drama of the narrative because we know how the plot ends, but Joseph, his brothers, and his father didn’t.
Jacob thought his son was dead (he wasn’t). The brothers thought they had gotten rid of Joseph for good (they hadn’t). Joseph thought he would die as a slave and never see his family again (he would not die as a slave, and he would see his family again).
No one in this terrible family drama had a clue. The sense that all of them made of this dramatic moment was, in fact, nonsense.
Was it a terrible betrayal? Absolutely. Was it reasonable to be afraid of the unknown? Of course! But imagine if Joseph, Jacob, and his family could see how the story would end.
We are just like Joseph and his family. We simply don’t know what the next chapter of our lives will hold.
In fact, none of us fully understands our past, none of us really understands what is happening in and around us in the present, and none of us has an accurate sense of what will happen tomorrow.
No wonder so many of us are anxious and confused!
Well, I want to encourage you. This is why the gift of Forever—that is, eternity—is such a precious gift. Not just for Tomorrow, but for Today. Right here, right now.
For those of us in Christ, who have been given eternal life, we know where our story is going. We know how the final chapter ends. We might not know the next chapter, and we will be surprised by what is coming around the corner, but we know where our final destination is.
And because of this, we can have assurance that we will be cared for along the way.
Peter describes us as those who have been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Not only have you been born again. Not only do you have a living hope. Not only do you have an imperishable inheritance awaiting. Right here, right now, you are being guarded.
You can live with mystery and accept how little you control because the gift of Forever guarantees that we will be guarded by God’s power until Forever is our final home!
A Prayer for Today: Lord God, in the midst of the unknown, I call out to you for the peace that only comes by the power of your Spirit in my life. I admit that all the control I think I have is just an illusion. You are in control. You hold ultimate power. You are the divine Creator of all things and my life is totally and completely in your hands. Thank you for loving me even though I question you, and thank you for having a plan in my life that I know sits at the center of your will for me. I trust you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Conversation Prompts for Children
1. What kinds of thoughts go through your mind when you might be scared and don’t know what’s going to happen next? Why do you think people are afraid so much?
2. Why is a Christian different from the average person who might be afraid of what they don’t know? How have you seen Christians react differently to hard things?
3. In what ways do you think I can change and be a good example of someone who trusts God even when life doesn’t seem to make sense?
Reflection Questions
1. Why is attempting to control all the aspects of your life something that might be driving you further away from God instead of toward him? Why do you think the element of control is really just an illusion? Even though it can be scary to embrace, why is trusting God always better than trying to control every detail of your life?
2. How does Joseph’s life story in the book of Genesis help you lean into God’s control, sovereignty, love, and plan?
3. Since we know the end of the story, what is preventing you from trusting in his loving and caring plan along the way in your life? What ultimately assures us that we are being guarded right now by God’s sovereignty?
4. Why is it a gift to accept the fact that we have little control over everything? How might accepting that gift free you from worry and anxiety in your everyday life?