Living in the present in the light of the future (February 2026)
We live in a time and a climate of much uncertainty. On many levels, every day, we face unknowns.
What will the groceries cost today? tomorrow? next week? Can I find a job today? Will I have one
tomorrow? Will I get accepted for school? Will I pass the exam? Can I stay in the country? Will I need
medical care? Will I have to move? All these, and more, are questions on the personal level which can be
unsettling.
In the wider landscape of life, there are even bigger questions. What more changes will artificial
intelligence bring? What will a changing climate cause: drought or flood, or fire or ice? Can I travel
safely — and if so, where? Will there be peace? What about war affecting family and friends, and
countries all over the world? What freedom do we have, and what may we lose? So many questions …
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave the first disciples the key to living in uncertain days and
circumstances.
Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your
body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than
clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can
add a single hour to his life? … But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things
will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about
itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25-27;
33-34,
NIV)
In the congregation I served in New Brunswick, there was a hymn that was a favourite for many people,
because it brought assurance. It was written by Ira F. Stanphill, and entitled, “I know Who holds
tomorrow”. It has a healthy perspective on life, and holds great wisdom for us as we live among the
uncertainties and challenges we face:
I don't know about tomorrow,
I just live from day to day.
I don't borrow from its sunshine,
For its skies may turn to grey.
I don't worry o'er the future,
For I know what Jesus said,
And today I'll walk beside Him,
For He knows what is ahead.
refrain:
Many things about tomorrow,
I don't seem to understand;
But I know who holds tomorrow,
And I know who holds my hand.
I don't know about tomorrow,
It may bring me poverty;
But the One who feeds the sparrow,
Is the One who stands by me.
And the path that be my portion,
May be through the flame or flood,
But His presence goes before me,
And I'm covered with His blood.
(webservant's note: check out this version on YouTube, by Alison Krauss and the Cox Family)
Let us rest and walk in confidence in the presence and care of Jesus Christ, Who is Lord of the present
and the future, in both life and death, and in time and eternity.
May you know that He holds you,
Your pastor, confident in the present, because Jesus in Whom I trust, holds the future!
James T. Hurd
