George Matheson, best known for the hymn, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me
Go,” wrote another song titled “Ignored Blessings,” in which he looks back to
“the road gone by.” It was by looking back he could see that his heavenly
Father had led him all the way.
God has an itinerary for each of us, a “course” that we must run (see
Acts 20:24 and 2 Tim. 4:7). Our route is charted in the councils of heaven and
rooted in the sovereign purposes of God.
Yet our choices are not irrelevant. We make decisions every day, large
and small, some of which have life-altering consequences. The question—aside
from the confounding mystery of God’s sovereignty and human choice—is this: How
can we discern the course to be run?
The answer is clearer to me now that I’m older and have more of the past
to look back on. By looking back, I see that God has led me all the way. I can
truthfully say, “God has been my shepherd all my life to this day” (Gen. 48:15
NIV). Though clouds surround the present and I do not know what the future may
hold, I have the assurance that the Shepherd will show me the way. My task is
to follow Him in love and obedience, and trust each step to Him.
We can trust our all-knowing God for the unknown future. (RBC)
