God In Our Past, Present, & Future
We all have things in our past that we don’t like. Our present situation may or may not be to our liking. And we may have anticipation, questions, or even fear about the future. Today, I want to discuss God in our past, present, and future.
Past
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. Joel 2:25 (KJV) emphasis mine
When we can’t do anything about our past, give it to God. God alone can do something about it. He can turn mistakes into miracles. When we put it all in His hands, He can restore what has been lost, wasted, or stolen, even giving us better things. The past cannot be changed, but in God’s hands, He can use it to bring us better things.
Present
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:26-28 (KJV)
As we allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for us by praying in the Holy Spirit (tongues), then God can make all things work out for us. This happens because we love God, because we are the called (Christians), and because God has a purpose for us. God is working in our present to work out His calling on our lives. His purpose is being fulfilled daily. He takes the bad and works it out for our good. Not everything we go through is good, but God can make good out of it. As we incorporate God into our day by praying in tongues, our good God can turn a bad day into a good one. Because He is good and does only good, when He is involved, our day can only be good (James 1:17).
Future
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version, NIV)
God lets us know that He has a good future planned for us. As we partner with God, it will come to pass. He declares it now before it happens. That way, when it happens, we’ll remember that God did it for us based on His promise. The past does not determine our future unless we allow it to. When we think and speak what God says about us, we will face the future with faith and not fear. We can be excited about the days ahead instead of filled with dread. God is out to prosper us, not to harm us. He wants to give us hope, or confident expectation of good things. When we expect to receive good from God, we will. God is doing a new thing; better things. He is restoring and working it all out for our good. His plan does not include pain or disappointment, but a good and happy life with Him.
