Confident Living in the Great Unknown

God can be trusted even as he leads us into life’s great unknown.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

Chico Basin Ranch takes me back to episodes of The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman and Big Valley. I can see cowboys riding their horses through this gate, home from a long day on the range.

Chico Basin Ranch, Colorado Copyright Douglas P Brauner

Chico Basin Ranch, Colorado
Copyright Douglas P Brauner

I took this picture on a Sunday afternoon as we gathered with friends celebrating the Confirmation of a very special young woman, a woman who knows her Bible better than most of us. We sat in chairs, told stories, caught up on each other’s lives and did a lot of laughing.

My prayer partner, Dave, sat across from me. We meet once a month for spiritual retreats; time that I deeply value.

I saw Dave again Sunday night at 9:45 in the emergency room at one of our Colorado Springs hospitals. Though Dave is younger than I, he had suffered a stroke. He could talk but the words weren’t coming the way he wanted. Early in the morning he was flown to Denver for surgery from which he has recovered.

While in the emergency room, I took out my phone and pulled up my Bible app. I’m not sure what word I was searching on when Psalm 77 appeared. We read this psalm.

“Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?” Psalm 77:7-9 English Standard Version

Sounds hopeless, doesn’t it?  Sounds like some of our prayers.  However, the psalmist continues, “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?”  Psalm 77:11-13 English Standard Version

I don’t know what God has in store us, but I do know that even in the worst of times we can remember God’s faithfulness and lean on this faithfulness into the great unknown of life.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner

About Douglas Brauner

I'm a retired pastor, blogger, and photographer. (Oh, and did I mention husband and father?) I encourage people who wrestle with life to focus on Christ so that they experience hope and joy on life's treadmill.