Sunday Read: Future Tripping and Present Faith

Martha ran to meet Jesus with an accusation wrapped in theology: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21). She was right - Jesus could have prevented Lazarus's death. He deliberately delayed, letting his friend die so greater glory could be revealed through resurrection. But Martha was trapped between past regret ("if you had been here") and future hope ("I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day"), unable to trust Jesus in her present crisis.

We live mentally in every time except the present. We ruminate on past mistakes - "if only I had..." We catastrophize about future disasters - "what if this happens..." We torture ourselves with alternate histories and imagined futures while missing the only moment we actually have: now. Jesus called this borrowing tomorrow's trouble (Matthew 6:34), adding future anxiety to present challenges, making today unbearable under the weight of every possible tomorrow.

The Israelites learned this lesson through manna. God provided daily bread that couldn't be stored or hoarded (Exodus 16). Some tried to keep extra for tomorrow and found it rotten by morning. The lesson was clear: trust God today for today's provision. Stop trying to secure tomorrow; focus on faithfully receiving today. This wasn't poor planning - it was dependence training, teaching them to trust God daily rather than trusting their stockpiles.

Jesus taught his disciples to pray "give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). Not weekly bread, not yearly bread - daily. The request assumes ongoing dependence, repeated asking, continual trust. It's the opposite of our instinct to secure enough provision that we won't need to keep asking. We want to pray once and be set forever; God wants us to pray daily and stay dependent.

Paul discovered this principle through his thorn in the flesh. He wanted it removed permanently. God's answer was different: "My grace is sufficient for you" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Not "my grace was sufficient yesterday" or "will be sufficient tomorrow" - present tense. Daily grace for daily struggles. Moment-by-moment sufficiency rather than once-for-all deliverance. This keeps us coming back to God rather than living off yesterday's encounter.

When you're anxious about the future, you're essentially saying God's grace sufficient for today won't be available tomorrow. You're trusting your ability to imagine disasters more than God's proven faithfulness. You're living as if you have to handle future problems with present resources instead of trusting that future grace will meet future needs.

What future are you trying to control right now? What tomorrow are you losing today over? What worst-case scenario is stealing present peace? God hasn't given you grace for that imagined future because you're not there yet. When you arrive at tomorrow, tomorrow's grace will be waiting. Until then, trust him with what's ahead and focus on faithfully living what's here. Today's trouble is sufficient; don't add tomorrow's to it.