January 10, 2020

Trusting the God Who Knows the Future

By Skip Heitzig

Predicting the future is big business. From reading fortune cookies to reading horoscopes, people have created an entire industry around predicting the future. The problem is that from a human perspective, it's impossible to predict future events. The future is unknown to us—but it's well known to God.

In Psalm 139, David said, speaking to the Lord, "You understand my thought afar off…. There is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether" (vv. 2, 4). That's how comprehensive and immediate God's knowledge is. He's omniscient—He knows everything and He exists outside of time. Because of that, He knows the future.

The prophet Daniel knew this well. In Daniel 2, the Lord revealed the meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which was all about the future, to Daniel in a vision. Daniel then made it known to the king, adding that he himself couldn't interpret Nebuchadnezzar's dream, "but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets" (v. 28).

And God wants to make the future known to you—not all of it, but parts of it. That's essentially what biblical prophecy is: God revealing what's going to happen in the future. Did you know one-fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy? Biblical prophecy isn't a good guess—it's good news to a guessing world, to give them certainty.

But the most important reason God has revealed parts of the future is so that people will realize there is only one true God. After Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of his dream, "Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face…and said, 'Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, since you could reveal this secret'" (vv. 46-47).

And just as God made Himself known to Nebuchadnezzar, He wants to make Himself known to you, too. He wants to have a relationship with you. He reveals Himself in prophecy not just to make people aware; it's to make people adore. It's not just to inform people of His plan; it's to conform people to His plan. It's not just to get people to wow; it's to get people to worship, surrender, and submit to Him. God predicts future events so that we may believe and trust in Him (see John 14:29).

You don't know what's in the road ahead. You can't see around the curves. But God does. He knows every nook and cranny, every detail, and every thought before we think it. So doesn't it make sense that because we are limited and God is unlimited, we who are limited would surrender ourselves to the unlimited being, who wants to be part of our lives? As Corrie ten Boom said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

For more from Skip Heitzig, visit ConnectwithSkip.com, and listen to today's broadcast of Connect with Skip Heitzig at OnePlace.com.