UNFOLDING (from Just One Word)

verb: revealing, making clear by gradual disclosure

“…Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” 2 Corinthians 4:16

Fear. We all experience it. We are afraid of things real and imagined, now and in the future. We worry a lot about what is ahead–especially when we don’t know what it is.

So we try all kinds of ways to figure out what’s going to happen, what to expect. When I was in elementary school, my friends and I made “fortune tellers” out of notebook paper. We would put our thumbs and index fingers inside the carefully folded triangles of paper and ask each other to choose a color, number, or word that we had written on the inside parts. We’d open and close the little contraption a few times, then lift the flap to reveal something significant like who we were going to marry or how many children we were going to have.

We loved this silly game. But isn’t it interesting that even at eight years old, we were trying to predict our futures? We were looking for some indication of what was going to happen in our lives. We wanted to know how it was all going to end up. We wanted to know everything right then.

But God doesn’t give us everything at once. He lovingly protects us from knowing too much in advance. When it comes to letting us in on his plans for us, he does something fascinating and frustrating at the same time.

He unfolds.

He opens up to us just enough knowledge, just enough strength, just enough of him for each day.

Gradual disclosure.

Sometimes slower than we would like and less than we might want.

But exactly what we need.

Jesus knows what He is doing. He lifts a flap for us, gives us a peek. Shows us the next turn but not the whole journey. Gives us a direction but not the destination. Most of the time we just to have to trust Him for all the yet-to-be revealed parts of our lives. And know that He is right there with us every step of the way.

Invite Him In

Look for God’s unfolding beauty and grace as you strive to follow him. Thank him for what he is revealing to you, and try to trust him for what he hasn’t yet shown you. He's not playing games: He holds your future, and more importantly, he holds you. Let him steady you and fill you with peace as he opens up your life a little bit more today.

Susie CrosbyOctober 17, 2022Comment