I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;
….I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.
I will be filled with joy because of you.
….I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:1-2 (NLT)

Luke 10:23-24 (<<click to read the passage)

I know one thing for sure, we all have unanswered questions as to what the future holds. Now maybe that sounds like a “duh” kind of statement but isn’t there usually a relative sense of security in knowing that general layout of life?

We just came off of a Memorial Day weekend. It is a national holiday where we take the time to remember the many who gave their lives in the wars throughout our country’s history to keep our freedoms secure. We humbly acknowledge their great sacrifice.

This particular weekend also is the unofficial beginning of summer. As part of our remembrances we have traditionally come together and share good food and make memories to look fondly back upon.

But the wrinkle in things this year, is that we find ourselves amidst the upheavals of life in response to a worldwide pandemic. Some have suffered great loss and others have suffered great inconvenience but all of us have suffered a breaking of our routines and the normalcy of life.

We all seem to be in a “wait and see” mode. Things that are a regular part of our lives, things that are part of our culture and societal norms are being canceled for cautionary reasons – fairs, festivals, concerts, etc., etc., etc.

Things like school have been turned upside down with no clear direction as to what next school year will even look like. We just. Don’t. Know.

Can you imagine being a prophet of old? Isaiah or Micah or Jeremiah or David or Daniel and the list goes on… The Lord opened up to them all kinds of thoughts of future things but not one of them knew the “whens”, they just knew the “whats”. And for that matter even some of the “whats” were pretty incomprehensible! But they were faithful and abided by the Lord’s command to proclaim the “truths” they had heard, though they would die never seeing their proclamations come to reality.

In this portion of Scripture Jesus tells His disciples,

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.” Luke 10:23-24 (NLT)

They heard and saw the fruition of so many “whats” and they had the great privilege of sharing in the “when”. But, at least in the middle of it all, they had not a clue as to their privilege. Not until it had all passed by them would they truly come to realize that Jesus had been pointing it all out to them along the way. And they were amazed!

Today we are filled with questions…questions that have no answers – at least not yet. I am speaking of how this whole pandemic and our attempts to keep it under control to some degree but many believe that we are seeing a lot of “whats” coming to fruition and that the Lord’s return is just around the corner.

That is a possibility. But it is also a possibility that that is not the case. In either case, as the prophets and kings of old, we are called to be faithful and we are called to proclaim the truths we have heard.

Lord Jesus, may we be about Your business and may we avoid being caught up in the “whens”. May we live out the prayer we exclaim, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 NRSV). Amen.

May 26th, 2020, Tues, 8:26 pm