What now?

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. -Deuteronomy 31:8 

As I sit here on this rainy graduation day, I sit and wonder what’s next. It’s a question we all have to ask. Whether just out of high school wondering which career to choose, or just getting married and wondering where to live or maybe all the kids have moved out and you wonder “What now?”

I think the thing that haunts us all the most during these times is fear. We don’t know what will happen. Even if we have every step planned out to the last little detail, we still don’t know.

And that’s scary.

But there is someone who does. There is someone who goes before you. And He knows. He will take care of you.

In Matthew 6 (v.25-34), Jesus tells us to not be anxious about our lives. He explains that the birds “neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns” but God still feeds them. He still cares for them. Then he speaks the truth that is sometimes hard for us to believe: “Are you not of more value than they?”

Hard for me to believe? Of course I’m more valuable than a bird. True, it’s easy to think and say that we are of more value than a bird, but if an outsider were to look at you and how fearful and anxious you are about the future, would they believe that about you?

I think the biggest thing for us to understand here is the cross. Now you’re thinking, what does this have to do with the cross? Well, it has everything to do with the cross. Just like it always does.

When Jesus died on the cross and rose again, the battle was won. We have nothing to fear anymore. If we are a true follower of Christ then when God looks at us He sees his perfect Son. God’s holy and just wrath that was due us was poured out onto Christ that day. And when you look at all the things of this world that we think we need to fear, and compare it to God’s wrath…well what would you be more afraid of?

So it is with this knowledge on graduation day that I fearlessly say: I have NO idea what to do next. And I’m okay with that. Because God knows. So what have I to fear?

P.S. I tried, but Chris Tomlin explains it so much better here.