Jack-in-the-Box

I have just recently had the pleasure of watching my youngest daughter discover the Jack-in-the-Box. She was enjoying the pretty tune as my wife rotated the handle, lulling her into a sense of quiet and contentment when...POP!!, out jumped the Jack-in-the-Box. She was of course very startled at first, after which she began to laugh and insisted on trying it over and over. Life is a bit like that isn’t it? Things can be going along just fine, but then, seemingly out of nowhere, something pops up and takes us by complete surprise. Sometime the surprise is a delight, other times it is devastating. The reality is that we have no idea what tomorrow brings. James points out this reality in his letter when he warns us not to boast about tomorrow and reminds us that we “do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” (James 4:14) We may not know what is coming, but our Lord does. One amazing thing about an eternal God who stands outside of time and space is that there is nothing that is going to take our Lord by surprise. So when those surprises in life hit, that shake us to the core and instantly change the whole course of life we can turn to the One who saw it coming. He has eternal perspective and knows the whys and hows of each situation. We may not see it clearly, but He does. We can do as the author of Proverbs urges and “trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make you paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)