"Facing an Uncertain Future"

For I am confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6 NASB).

It may be that it has been a long time since I have actually faced a circumstance in which I knew I was completely surrendering all control of my future to someone else; or, perhaps it is merely the reality that I am getting a little older and the prospect of surgery that reminds me very clearly I am not indestructible! Whatever the reason, there is a sense of surrender that must accompany my impending surgery. You surrender your consciousness to an anesthesiologist; and, you surrender your physical well being as well as your very life to a team of nurses and doctors. Without such surrender you cannot receive the healing you need. While it is an uncertain future, by following the steps developed through many others’ experience prior to you, you can be reasonably assured of success.

Doesn’t that sound a lot like the surrender God asks us to make when we accept His gift of grace? There are several keys in our reading today that give us a clear look at the process of this surrender.

 First, the one who begins the work in us is the one who will finish it. In the case of the surgery I obviously want the surgeon who began with my case to finish it. He is most familiar with all the aspects of my particular needs. Our promise from the Scripture is that God finishes personally what he has begun in us. That ought to produce tremendous confidence and hope in us as we face our future.

 Second, God will do more than merely finish the work, he will “perfect” it. The word is a verb. It is an action. It is not that God will make us “perfect,” as much as it is that he will make the work in our lives perfect. That means that everything that needs to be done to secure our future will be completed. Just like my healing will only begin with the surgery, our future in Christ has only begun with our new birth experience. A secure future is assured when we trust him to do it!

 Third, this work will continue “until the day of Jesus Christ.” That reference to the Second Coming is so assuring to me. The work of Christ is one that continues. He is not finished with me yet. It will be finished, but for now, as I have my good days and bad, I know he is still working with me!

The future is not nearly so uncertain as we might feel at times. God holds it in his hands. What safer place could there be than that! Are you in his hands?