there’s a church down the street that has displayed the following message on their placard for the past couple of months: “new sermon series – the book of revelation: your future” … now, i know i’m picking a couple of easy targets here (i.e., church signs and “left behind” eschatology) but i see the sign all the time, and i always think the same thing:

first, i think, “how can it still be a new series after all this time?” which is then followed by a mild depression. it’s like when i rented the omega code from blockbuster because i was feeling smarmy and ironic. after watching it, though, i felt guilty and sad. guilty, because i was mocking other believers and sad, because of how so many people treat the bible as if it were some kind of sudoku puzzle that, upon being solved, would magically lay out the blueprint for the future…

i know how hard it can be to discern God’s will. our family is right in the middle of a huge transition, and things are very muddled. our church has gone through some outrageous things over the last couple of years, we’ve struggled with our sense of calling, and we’re moving on to where we believe (hope) God is leading us. but i think things would be a whole lot worse if God hid His plans for us in a cosmic game of hide and seek. when i’m being honest, it’s me who plays games with God, not the other way around. rationalizing, hiding, venting, pouting… that’s on me, not on Him.

i want to have confidence in God, even when i can’t see clearly. i’m not there yet, but that’s where i want to be – relying on our God of hope who redeems.