A Hopeful Habit When Your Future Is Hard to Predict

I ordered a new wall calendar out of habit. But when I opened it to begin filling in plans, I realized…I had only one.

Surgery.

After that, only rough guesses, and they differ by doctor. The circumstances leading to surgery might resolve, they might not. Recovery might be steady and sort-of quick, or it might not. We might be able to get back to “normal” life soon-ish, we might not.

What do you do when so much about your future is hard to predict? 

In the hard season preceding this, when most of what I could put on the calendar was just medical appointments, there was a while that I stopped paying attention. I usually knew what day it was and what I needed to do next, but I often lost track of the month or the season. It was disorienting.

Life felt like a refrain of asking “how long, o Lord?”

Slowly, the Lord shifted my perspective to looking at how far He’d brought me instead of how far off the light at the end of the tunnel seemed to be. (I shared a poem about this recently.)

With that in mind, I started a new habit with this wall calendar. Every night I cross off the day that’s ending, and remember, out loud:

“Thus far the Lord has helped us.” – 1 Samuel 7:12

Samuel said this as he set up an “ebenezer,” a stone set up to make the people remember what God had just done.

What had God just done? Delivered Israel from an attack by the Philistines, one that took place while Israel was repenting before God and worshipping Him.

Why was Israel repenting? Among other things, they had foolishly brought God’s ark of the covenant into battle, under the leadership of Eli’s corrupt sons. The Philistines captured the ark. God defended Himself, and the Philistines had to send the ark back.

I only recently noticed that the battle in which Israel strayed and the ark was captured took place in Ebenezer.

Samuel named the stone intended to remind Israel of God’s help so far after the place where they turned from Him. Yet, God remained faithful. God continued to show His glory. He drew His people back to Himself. And in this instance, He also spared them another bloody defeat. 

Earthly victory over our battles isn’t guaranteed, but our victory in Christ is. Whether we are suffering because of our own sin or simply effects of sin in the world like sickness, nothing can keep us from the One who is for us. 

No matter what we face, He remains faithful. He is our “ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). And He will continue to be, whatever lies ahead in our uncertain futures.