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[0:00] A pastor's reflections. Future understanding. Exodus 32. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him,! Up, make us gods, which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.

[0:24] John 13.7. Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do you know not now, but you shall know hereafter. 1 Corinthians 13.9-10. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

[0:45] There are very few of us who, if given the opportunity, would not like to know something of what our future holds. Very often, the things that we anticipate coming to pass are usually things that we have either experienced in the past and so expect them again in the future, or they are brand new things that are based upon our hopes and fears.

[1:09] Either way, all that we know for sure is that we simply don't know for sure exactly what to expect. In Exodus 32, the people of Israel have no idea of all of the blessing that is in store for them if they would only wait for the return of God's deliverer, Moses.

[1:30] Whatever they may be thinking regarding Moses' time on the mountain, I am sure they would never have expected that God was preparing a place for them to be able to come into his presence.

[1:44] Unfortunately for Israel, they responded to waiting a lot like we often do as well. Instead of patience, they began to question why they were being forced to wait so long.

[1:55] Surely, if God was going to do something, he would have done it by now. At the root of Israel's impatience was unbelief.

[2:06] It wasn't just that God was taking so long to send Moses back. It was that they stopped believing that he was actually coming back. Instead of trusting all that they knew of God, they chose instead to focus on the unknown of what God was doing.

[2:25] Exodus 20, 20 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, for God has come to prove you, and that his fear may be before your faces, that you sin not.

[2:37] God's heart was to lead his people into a deeper relationship with himself, and it was not to be based upon their physical needs or perception. Israel needed to rely upon God's word in the midst of all that he was doing, instead of relying on what their own perception thought he was doing.

[2:59] I wonder how often impatience in our lives is rooted in unbelief. Am I trusting that God is working all things for my good, even when my perception tells me otherwise?

[3:09] Am I willing to await the timing of God's understanding in my circumstances? Or am I attempting to apply my own understanding? Like Israel, we also have God's word that allows us to bring God's understanding and direction into every situation, even if we don't know exactly what the outcome will be.

[3:33] James 5, 7 and 8 Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

[3:51] Be you also patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draws near. Today, let your faith in God establish you in the patience of God, don't let unbelief lead you to act upon perception.

[4:08] Trust that not only does God know the future, but that he also knows your future. Jeremiah 29, 11 For I know that the thoughts that I think towards you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

[4:28] Father, thank you that our hope-filled future is in your hands. Thank you that not only do you hold our future, but you also hold us. Keep us from doubting your goodness, just because we can't see as far ahead as you.

[4:44]  Amen. Amen.