I received a phone call from my brother David this morning. It was one of those phone calls we all hate to get. He and his wife had learned that his wife's brother had been found dead yesterday in a western state, far away from all of his family. That news never comes at a good time and is always devastating to receive. Our family invites you to join us in praying for David and Melodie and for Melodie's family who are struggling to cope with this tragic loss.That phone call made me wonder about other times when people get unexpected news. Sometimes it is a medical diagnosis. On occasion it may relate to a job, an application, a planned trip. The source and message may vary, but unexpected news, especially bad news, has a way of coming when we really don't want or need it. The writer of Proverbs seems to offer us a caution about that unexpected bad news when he urges us to avoid making boastful plans about tomorrow because we may be blindsided by what tomorrow brings. James offers us a very similar warning in James 4:13-16.
What I do is cling to the things I know for certain when things I am not certain about come my way. And what can I know for certain? The Bible tells me what I can know for certain. The Bible tells me that God's Word is truth (John 17:17) and so I believe I can know what the Bible tells me. The Bible tells me that God loves me and on many days that is what I have to cling to. The experiences I sometimes go through would make me think God didn't love me if it were not for the fact that God has already confirmed his love for me by what he sent Jesus to do for me. (John 3:16). So I cling to the truth that God loves me and wait for the next day to come. In Lamentations 3:22 (ESV) we read "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
I pray that my brother and his wife and her family will experience the truth of this verse tomorrow!
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