God in our Future

God in our Future 
Future Hope
Terry R. Baughman

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8 NKJ).

One of the unique characteristics of God is His omnipresence. He is everywhere at the same time. He doesn’t leave one place to be another. He can be present with us and also be with millions of others at the same time, and because God is also eternal He is not bound only to the present. He is also present in our past and our future, all concurrently. 

John quoted the Lord declaring Himself to be “the beginning and the end.” He started the alphabet and concludes it at the same time. He was (in our past); He is (in our present); and He is to come (in our future). While we are bound to time and all events must fit into only one of three states of being, God is not bound to time, but He exists eternally present in every moment of our past, present, and future. 

God lives in our past and sees our first sin, but choses grace over judgment, because He also hears our prayer of repentance and sees our resolve to change through the power of the Gospel. The Word of God is powerful to transform lives and the process of our first step toward Him and our last breath, before we are in eternity with Him, exists in a single moment. 

He is the Almighty. There is no power outside of His control, no impossible situations with Him, and His strength, His knowledge, and His presence are never separated from Him. He holds all in His hand and in His control. Nothing is impossible with God. A study of His characteristics builds our faith in His complete ability to do everything we need! 

While we are keenly aware of His presence in the past, due to His intervention in our lives and the transformation He has worked in us, we may not be aware of His present involvement in our lives. We may be even less convinced that He is now in our future working all things for our good. 

Right now, God is with us. He is aware of our limitations, our lack of faith, and our struggle to believe. He is now working to bring us into a closer relationship with Him, even allowing some of our disappointments that will drive us to prayer and cause us to look to God for answers. We prefer the path of least resistance and instant answers to the hurried prayers we whisper, but God knows that real and lasting change often comes slowly through our greatest challenges. He is more interested in us developing character than enjoying comfort. He prefers to bring us into a fulfilling relationship with Jesus Christ above us having a carefree existence of selfish indulgence. 

Most importantly, God is already in our future and He is coaching us along the way through every hard choice and difficult decision. We may question His wisdom and resist His plan, but the One who is already there in the future can surely give us direction and purpose for traveling there. Perhaps this understanding will make the passage more meaningful, “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NKJ). God is in our future and He is doing all things for our good. That gives us future hope!
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Theme passage:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJ).