What If Tomorrow Never Comes?

I am so thankful for the opportunity to have have the Bible. I know it sounds like a "preachy" thing to say but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. It often reads "me" rather than me reading "it". Just this morning God has reminded me that frustration occurs when I look to much toward the future rather than living in today. There are many passages in the Bible that speak to the danger of looking too far ahead. I am reminded of when Moses was in the wilderness and God was providing for them each day by sending Manna to eat. God told them to only get the Manna they needed for that day except for the Sabbath. When they tested God and tried to store leftovers for the next day it would spoil Exodus 16:19. Here are some other passages that help me when I become too much of a "forward" thinker.

• Proverbs 27:1 Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring.
• Matthew 6:24-25 24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. 25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
• James 4:13-15 13 Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” 14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. 15 What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”

What if tomorrow never comes? 
No one is promised tomorrow.  Some may see that as being a negative thing, but I see it as a positive (even though it can be frustrating). If tomorrow never comes, have I missed the blessing of living today? At times, the answer would painfully be no. There is a difference between looking forward to future events and letting them consume us. (Vacations, new employment opportunities, new school experiences etc.)

I am reminded of an Adam Sandler movie called "Click". Adam Sandler's character went to a Bed, Bath and Beyond where he met the always creepy Christopher Walken.  In the back room of the store where the "beyond" items were displayed, there was a magical remote that could fast forward time but not rewind.  In the moment it seemed like  a great thing.  He could fast forward through fights with his wife, uncomfortable work situations, his dog taking too long to use the bathroom, etc.  This was all good until he gets to the end of his life and realizes those things he fast forwarded through were actually the things that made his life so rich.

My prayer this morning is that if tomorrow never comes, may I be expectant and hopeful in what I encounter today.  Enjoy the "manna" God  has given for me today and know that He will give me what I need tomorrow.  This is easier said than done, but that's why I am making this a prayer.  May I treasure the fact that God in His infinite love and wisdom 'unfolds" my life daily rather than "laying it out' in a big picture.  The big picture plan increases my desire to depend on myself rather than daily depending on God.  If tomorrow never comes, I am confident that God is working in me today.

Dear God,

Thank you for the ways you have blessed me today.  You are the one and only True God.  Mountains tremble in your presence. Oceans roar at the wave of your hands. You are God and I am not. Forgive me where I have fallen short of your will for my life in my daily choices. Help me to see you in every encounter and give me your insight as I interact with those you place in my path. Thank you for the loved ones and friends you have placed in my life for today. May I cherish them and not take them for granted. May the job you have placed me in bring glory to You and to me the sense of knowing you are pleased. May my heart not grow weary or walk not become faint as I leave my tomorrow to you and be obedient in the today.

Love,

James