You’ve seen them before, haven’t you – those silly declarations that Jesus will return on a particular day based on some lunatic’s bizarre interpretation of an obscure Bible text blended weirdly with a current event?
To be sure, Jesus may return as he promised in 2019, but as Jesus said, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know (Acts 1:7).”
We place good emphasis on the latter part of Jesus’s words, but let’s not forget the first part of his assertion. Dates and times belong to the Father – not only the date and time of our Lord’s return but the date and time of every activity related to you. The day of your birth was according to the Father’s will as will be the day of your death. All the days between are no different.
We know next to nothing of what a day might bring, but that does not mean the day is random. Looking back on 2018 recalls events you did not see coming. Looking ahead to 2019 is like looking through a pipe into the moonless, starless sky. There’s nothing but blackness. Yet your dates and times from 2018 were under the providence of God, and your dates and times in 2019 will be too. While we will make our plans for the year to come, the Lord will determine our steps (Proverbs 16:9).
Be hopeful, Christian friends, about 2019, not because you’ve crafted a strategy sure to work, but because your Father who is in heaven has.
As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.