As Pastor Chuck Smith taught us on the value of faith, he began to look back on his life for encouragement to us. I’m reminded that we can all look back and see the faithfulness of God in our own lives. Let’s be encouraged that no matter what, God remains faithful!
“From this point in my life I can look back and begin to see how, from the very beginning, God was preparing me for my assigned task. I can see now that God had His hand on my life all the way along, though I didn’t realize it at the time. Through the most difficult periods of my life, God was teaching me vital lessons to equip me for the work He has ordained for me to accomplish for the kingdom.
It’s wonderful from this vantage point to look back and say, “Oh, God was in that trial! I remember how miserable I was. I thought that God had forsaken me. I complained to God in the midst of that. But lookâthat was just the thing that God used for His glory and for my benefit. I see and understand how He has put the pieces together now.”
You can start saying things like that when you reach eight decades of life. By then, you have gained a bit of perspective that you don’t have when you’re twenty. When you were going through those hard, miserable times, you couldn’t see any sense in them. It didn’t feel as though God cared. You wondered if He even saw.
The only way you can make it through those tough times is by walking by faith in the goodness of God and in His sure promises. Later, you may see. Right now, you can’t. But you can still move forward confidently, knowing that God will always honor His promises.
If we could see beyond today
As God can see
If all the clouds should roll away
The shadows flee;
O’er present griefs we would not fret
Each sorrow we would soon forget
For many joys are waiting yet
For you and me.
If we could know beyond today
As God doth know
Why dearest treasures pass away
And tears must flow;
And why the darkness leads to light
Why dreary days will soon grow bright,
Some day life’s wrong will be made right,
Faith tells us so.
If we could see,if we could know
We often say,
But God in love a veil doth throw
Across our way.
We cannot see what lies before,
And so we cling to Him the more,
He leads us till this life is o’er,
Trust and obey.
Many times that is all we can do. We can’t see. We don’t know. But we can cling to the LORD, trusting and obeying Him.
— Pastor Chuck Smith
