He holds the future

Because he lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because he lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because he lives!

(“Because He Lives,” by Bill Gaither)

I sang this chorus this past weekend at a women’s get-together. It’s from a song I did not grow up with. The chorus came to me the night my dad died, and has recurred as a song “stuck in my head” many times since.

When my dad died I wondered how I would live. To those of you who are younger, it may sound crazy that at age 60 I would still feel that kind of dependence on my father. My mother was in a nursing home with Parkinson’s and died about 4 months after Dad. The words of this chorus were a constant refrain during that time and still are now. Life is worth living because God lives and holds the future.

When I see what is going on in my own life and the lives of those I love, the natural disasters affecting so many people and so much of nature, the wars we fight, the way we treat each other, the decisions and plans we humans make. I sometimes think, “Well, we’ve bumbled through it and made it this far, I guess we will again.” Other times I remember the promise that God holds the future.

We could talk for hours, maybe days, even years, about what it means to say “God holds he future.” Does he control the future? Does he just know the future? Does he intervene and determine the future? I don’t know all the answers and I don’t think anyone does. I like the word “hold.” It sparks the image of another song, “He’s got the whole world in his hands.”

When I think of God holding me, and holding the future, I see the image of Treebeard the Ent in “Lord of the Rings” scooping up and holding the hobbits Merry and Pippin. God scoops me up and sets me on his shoulder

picture by Paul Dohle,

https://magazine.b2zone.com/poul-dohle-illustrates-treebeard-with-merry-and-pippin/

​God holds the world. He holds the universe. He holds the future, the past, and the present. He holds me. He holds you.

What can I pray about for you?

love and blessings,

Mavis

PS - Since writing this yesterday, this song has been stuck in my head and just a little bit ago I realized I was singing, "Because he loves, I can face tomorrow....", substituting "loves" for "lives." It works that way, too. :)

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If you would like to send me specific prayer requests I will gladly pray with you. Email me at mavis at moonfamily.cc. I'll keep all communication confidential.

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