Trusting God with Your Future

By Beena Philip, Kottayam, Kerala, India

Scripture Reading

• Luke 1:26-38
• Luke 1:46-58

There would be few people in the world, who have not worried about their future at one point or the other, experiencing stress, fear or uncertainty.

Let’s look at one woman who had a lot to worry about. She is none other than Mary. Let’s read Luke 1:26-38 (NIV):

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^[a] the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Mary, being a young teenage girl, would have been shocked by the appearance of the angel, and perplexed by his words that she would give birth to God’s son! This was truly a time for her to be worried about her future… how would her parents believe her about her pregnancy? Would her fiancé get her stoned to death for being an adulterous woman? What would people in her village, and her relatives speak of her? Would they treat her as an outcast? How would she carry the shame of having a child out of wedlock and have no one marry her for the rest of her life? She could have let her fears run wild and steal whatever faith she had.

Mary would have grown up in a middle-class or poor Jewish shepherd family of those times.  She grew up familiar with the miracles God did in the lives of His people, like blessing old Abraham and barren Sarah with His promised son. Initially, when the angel addressed her, Mary was greatly troubled and doubtful. But she decided to trust and become a willing servant for God, accepting God’s will. She knew there would be consequences to her decision, but she had faith in God’s character that He would be with her to protect and lead her. She had been chosen for His wonderful plan. She could place all her worries and fears of the unknown future in His hands. Mary’s complete trust in God produced immense joy, gratitude, and praises to God in her heart, reflected in her song (Luke 1:46-48):

⁴⁶ And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord
⁴⁷     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
⁴⁸ for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
⁴⁹     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.
⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.
⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.
⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.
⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful
⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

⁵⁶ Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

⁵⁷ When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. ⁵⁸ Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

Mary cherished that her decision glorified God (v46). She believed that she, despite her humble background, would be called blessed by generations to come. Her spirit rejoiced in God (v47). No matter what the future held, God would see her through, because He was holy (v48), considerate to her (v49), and merciful in His nature (v50). The events of the past gave Mary hope for the future. He had performed mighty deeds (v51), lifted up the humble (v 51-52) and always kept His promises (v54).

However, Mary’s decision to trust God did not mean that she would escape hardships, pain, and difficulties in life. Fully pregnant, she had to keep searching for a shelter in the crowded Bethlehem, only to find a manger to deliver the God-promised Son-of-God. She had to be a fugitive running away to a foreign land of Egypt to raise him, go through the pain of not understanding the priorities or behaviour of her son who was even accused of being the prince of demons. She had to suffer the painful life of a widow.  She had to have a sword pierce her own heart seeing the torture and the painful death of her precious son as a cursed, crucified criminal! But her faith and perseverance led her to salvation and discipleship.

God had blessed my husband and me with a son, an answered prayer while we were leading a mission field. We dreamt of him becoming an amazing instrument and worker for God. As the years flew by, he became a zealous disciple at 14. But our dreams were shattered when he left the church, feeling only a darkness and no connection to God. We went through a phase of discouragement and pain, guilty that we had neglected him emotionally, questioning ourselves as to why we would be doing ministry, helping others, while we could not even help our own son. I struggled with tears flowing down my cheeks whenever I would see other youth serving in the church and wishing my son would have at least sat in some corner within the church. Through many tough and painful times, our son struggled with depression and suicidal tendencies even as he finished his graduation. It was heart-wrenching to see him waste away his life, becoming comparable to a living skeleton with a long beard and unkempt hair. He was devoid of any desire to live, spent his days behind closed doors in a dark room, hardly ate once a day and stayed awake in the nights playing computer games. He had no interest to communicate or be involved with the family. Any queries to him about obtaining a job would invariably end in him expressing his desire not to live.

All my prayers consisted of pouring out my tears and entreating God to work in my son’s life. One day I suddenly realised that if I were all the time crying and weeping before God, it meant I really lacked trust and faith in Him! Then I recounted how God had been so faithful in our lives. I remembered the numerous incidents where each member in our family were kept alive only by His divine protection and provision! There were so many specific miracles He had done, so many unexpressed desires which He had met! If He is the same God who created each one of us, didn’t my son belong to Him more than to us? Who was I to question or doubt God about His love, care and plans for my son? Where was my trust in Him that I somehow felt I had to force His hand through my tears?!!  My prayers changed radically, and I started thanking God with joy for the wonder of His plans, and how He would miraculously carry my son in His arms and bring Him back in His own time and in His own ways. I didn’t have to know how, when, where or through whom He would do this! I surrendered my son and everything about him into His hands. The God who held all of us all these years would still hold our future and our children’s future! He is our faithful God. There was such amazing peace and joy which God gifted me from then on. To our amazement, the following week, our son came to us and said he was leaving to another city to work. We were thunderstruck while he explained that he was joining his cousin to work! For the past one year he has held on, despite difficulties and failures encountered in that job. Glory be to our great God!

Thoughts for Reflection

1. Mary voiced her doubts, but trusted God to be a willing servant for God’s glory. Our best future is being used for God’s glory!  In what ways do we hold back from being “willing servants” for the glory of God?
2. Mary depended on God’s past mighty deeds to give her faith for her future.  What are the specific past events of your life where God did miracles in your life?
3. Mary faced many challenges and trials despite being “highly favoured.” Jesus himself, despite being God, went through the worst of suffering, degradation, trials, accusations and death on the cross (Philippians 2:6-8). Through His suffering we have victory over death, an eternal future! What is your attitude towards trials and suffering in your life today? Does it reflect hope for our spiritual future as in Romans 5:3-4, and James 1:2-4?

Today I will

Mary depended on God’s faithfulness in keeping His promises to Abraham and his descendants forever. Put on your creative cap to draw/write/stitch/paint/print His promise(s) that you want to personally hold on to for your future. Pray and dare to place what worries you the most about your future in His hands because He keeps His promises.

About the Author

I am Beena Philip. I did my engineering degree and became a disciple in Cochin, Kerala, when I was invited off the road by a sister in 1994. I joined the full-time ministry soon after my baptism, and I got married to Shaijus Philip in 1995. We led a mission team to Trivandrum in the early days of our marriage. We have served in Bangalore church for 20 years. We are involved in the School of Missions Training and mission fields in Karnataka. Now we are serving in the Kottayam church, Kerala, as well as helping out with other churches. We have one son and two daughters. Our son is working, our middle daughter just finished college, and our youngest is in ninth grade.