God Knows The Future

Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.

Luke 1:38

A marble slab in a New Hampshire cemetery holds an unbelievable epitaph: “Murdered by the Baptist Ministry and Churches.” Apparently the deceased was accused of lying in a church meeting. She was expelled and reduced to poverty, and the church refused to allow any outside investigation. The assassination of her character led to an early death.

It takes great faith to stand under the weight of false accusation and shame. When a teenager named Mary was approached by the angel Gabriel and told she was to be the mother of Jesus, imagine what raced through her mind: I am not married. If I become pregnant, people will think at worst that I am immoral or at best that my husband-to-be, Joseph, and I have had relations—neither of which is true! But then she must have thought, Surely God knows these possibilities. If He knows what could happen and still wants me to serve Him, then I will do it.

The next time that obeying the Lord puts you at risk for being misunderstood, remember that God knows all the possibilities—and He has planned accordingly.

Saying yes to God means believing that He knows where that response will lead.