“God gives us the grace we need in the moments we need it most.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – March 14, 2024
You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. Mark 13:9-11, NIV
By temperament, I’m a planner. When preparing for a big trip, I spend weeks and sometimes months carefully mapping the route and identifying key destinations along the way. As a young man just beginning my career, I carefully considered where I wanted to be down the road and identified the steps needed to get there. Now in the prime of my career, I look ahead to retirement and do what I can to ensure I’ll be able to provide for my family in the final years of my life.
On the one hand, all of this is fine and good. Our Lord has given us wisdom and discernment, and we should navigate our lives with intentionality and care. Yet, more often than I care to admit, my need to plan ahead is rooted in self-preservation, fear, and control. If I’m not careful, it can be a self-willed effort to ensure my own future is free of suffering or pain. It can be an effort to control every variable in order to guarantee a certain outcome. And, in keeping my focus firmly on the future, I run the risk of missing out on a lived experience of the nearness of God in the present.
Time and time again, Scripture reminds us not to worry. And here in Mark 13, our Lord directs his disciples not to be overly concerned with future situations outside of their control. Instead, they should “not worry beforehand about what to say,” instead choosing to receive “whatever is given to you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11). This is not only a specific word to these disciples in their own day, but is for us a timeless model of how we are to live our lives of discipleship in the present.
The ability to control our futures and guarantee outcomes is a complete illusion. Wealth is lost in an instant. Our bodies can turn on us seemingly overnight. Relationships unravel no matter how hard we try to hold them together. This is simply the reality of life, and we are wise to see it as it truly is. As such, what we can do is seek daily to be present to God in the moment and season in which we find ourselves. Ask yourself, “How is God leading me right now to participate with him in the work of his kingdom?”
Do not worry. God gives us the grace we need in the moments we need it most. The Holy Spirit is with you and will give you what you need today. And so, trust that your future is in his hands and that the present is where you are invited to encounter his goodness and love afresh.
Prayer
Father, help us trust that you are with us in this present moment, speaking to us and through us, for your glory and in the power of the Spirit. Amen.
Application
Prayerfully reflect upon this question throughout your day: “How is God leading me right now to participate with him in the work of his kingdom?”
Related Reading
Psalm 55:22; Matthew 11:28-30; John 14:27
Worship Resource
Ryan Stevenson feat. Gabe Real: Eye of the Storm
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