Greg Laurie - Our Future Is In God's Hands

TOPICS: Future, Security

Have you ever wondered how long you will live? I read an article the other day that said AI (artificial intelligence) can now tell us how long we will actually live. They base that on your medical history, place of residence, and working hours. They’ll tell you effectively the date of your death. I’m not so sure I’d want to know that, actually.

And I read about this young millionaire who’s trying to extend his life. He’s 45 years old and spending $2 million a year on anti-aging regimens. He follows a strict diet, a sleep window, a ritual exercise regimen, and a round of daily supplements. He undergoes countless medical tests, and his goal is to get to the biological age of 18. Then he will move back in with his parents again. And so, he actually said that he felt the length of his life was not up to God; it was up to him. Okay, we’ll see how that works out. You know the Bible says it’s appointed unto man once to die, and then comes the judgment. God has an appointed day for birth and death. We have everything to do with that little dash in the middle.

But then there are people that break all the rules. They don’t follow an exercise regimen, like Pearl Cantrell, who made it to the ripe old age of 105 years. She was interviewed, and by the way, she also had 17 children. So she was asked how she made it to 105 years, and she said it’s very simple: I eat bacon every day. I like Pearl Cantrell! Then I watched a news program about a guy who made it past 100. They asked him what his secret was, and he said, «I eat a hot dog every day.» So, you know, really, you can live a healthier life. I’m not advocating living an unhealthy life, but ultimately, it’s all in the hands of God. God determines the length of your life.

And here in Psalm 31:14, David writes, «I am trusting you, O Lord,» saying, «You are my God, and my times are in your hands.» My times are in your hands, or, as another translation puts it, «My future is in your hands.» And by the way, David did not write these words lying on the beach somewhere or having a nice little glass of iced tea. No, he wrote this when he was on the run. He was being hunted down by King Saul because, after David had been anointed to be the next king of Israel, Saul realized who his successor was. He made it his mission in life to destroy this young man. I mean, David was going from shepherd boy to the king of Israel, and it was not going to be an easy road. In fact, I think David might have thought more than once, you know what? It actually was a lot better when I was just tending the sheep. Back then, I knew who my real enemies were: lions, bears, and ultimately Goliath. But now he’s dealing with a different kind of enemy. He’s entering into the world of politics and intrigue. He’s dealing with this man, King Saul, who wants to destroy him. And this is where he’s writing these words.

At one point, he said of his life, «There is but a step between me and death.» In other words, because of the fact that he was a fugitive and running for his life, he did not know if he would make it another day. But then he says, «But my times are in your hands.» You know, David was going to become not just a king but the greatest king in the history of Israel. You know, they still speak of David in Israel today. The Israeli flag? What is it? The Star of David. One of their defense systems is called the Sling of David. There’s a folk song that’s still popular in Israel today that they teach to little children with the lyrics, «David is the king in Israel.» But the most significant thing about David is that he would be in the royal line of the Messiah. In fact, Jesus Christ would identify himself as the son of David.

The reason that Mary and Joseph went and had their baby in Bethlehem after that decree was given by Caesar was that it was the boyhood home of David, and that’s who their genealogy traced back to. And the Bible uniquely describes David as a man after God’s own heart. Actually, that verse is found in Acts chapter 13, where Paul, describing what happened to David, says, «God removed King Saul, and then the Lord said, I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.» How could David be a man after God’s own heart when he was guilty of gross sin? We know David committed adultery with Bathsheba. We know he tried to cover it up. We know ultimately he played a role in the murder of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. Yet God describes him as a man after his own heart.

Well, the answer to that is found in the book of Psalms. You see, this is a man who had a heart toward God. When he sinned, he owned it and he repented of his sin. And ultimately, he did do everything God wanted him to do-not flawlessly, but faithfully. Now he first came into the public eye when he took down the 9-foot-6-inch giant of a man known as Goliath there in the Valley of Elah. Goliath had been coming down into the valley day after day, challenging Israel, saying, «Send me a representative of your people, and he’ll fight me. I represent the Philistines, and he’ll represent Israel. Whoever wins this battle will be the winner.» Come on! No one would take him up on it.

Then Goliath was coming up in the camp of Israel, right in their face. He was getting in their grill, as they say. «Come on! Who’s going to fight me?» No one would take him on until David arrived on the scene, delivering bread and cheese to his brothers-basically a pizza delivery. And there he heard the taunting of Goliath and said, «I’ll fight him.» Of course, he defeated him. On the heels of that, he became a folk hero overnight, and he gained a huge following. In fact, there were 300 men who dedicated themselves to David to follow him wherever he went.

And it was during this time, now as he’s running from Saul, because once he becomes the hero in the eyes of Saul, he becomes a big zero because he’s a threat to the throne. And now, while he’s running from Saul, he writes Psalm 31, Psalm 27, and Psalm 54. Okay, there’s a little backdrop to the story.

Now we see that the Philistines are up to their old tricks. They attacked a little border town of Keilah, and the farmers had just harvested their crops. The Philistines stole their crops. These farmers of Keilah went to David. Even though Saul was king, they knew Saul would do nothing about it. He was sort of a lame-duck king at this point, but they knew David was a mighty warrior who was fearless. They said, «David, would you help us?» And David prayed about it, and the Lord said to him, «Go take these Philistines on.» And he went and conquered them in battle.

Writing of that in Psalm 31:21, David said, «Praise to the Lord. He’s shown me the wonders of his love while I was in a city under siege.» But now this attack comes not from the Philistines but from Saul. Now Saul and David were both believers in one sense. Saul seemed to be lapsed in his faith, but Saul had a good beginning. When God appointed him to be the first king over Israel, we read he was a humble man. We read that the Spirit of God came upon him. He had tremendous potential, but he messed up. In his own words, in an autobiographical statement, he said, «I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly.» So because of his pride and his disobedience, God rejected him from being king.

You know, in life, it comes as a surprise sometimes to us as Christians to find that we’re opposed, not only by the world but sometimes by fellow believers. And it doesn’t always make sense. You know, some Christian that you know or someone you had a friendship with may turn on you. They may criticize you. And that’s what’s happening to David. Consider this: not only was David going to ascend to the throne, but he married Saul’s daughter, Michal. So Saul’s his father-in-law who’s trying to kill him. So you think you have in-law problems. So this is the world he’s dealing with.

He writes down these words in what I’ve described as David’s diary: the book of Psalms. Again, Psalm 31-look at verse 7: «I’ll be glad and rejoice in your mercy, for you have considered my trouble. You’ve known my soul in adversity.» Now his army of 300 multiplies to 600.

This brings me to my first point: Sometimes the ones you help the most hurt you the worst. Sometimes the ones you help the most hurt you the worst. It might be a fellow believer, as I mentioned earlier. I’ve told you the story before of a crab fisherman who had a bucket full of crabs. He was walking along with them, and he didn’t have a lid on it. Someone noticed that and said, «Hey, how do you keep those crabs in that bucket? Don’t they want to climb out?» He says, «Oh, yeah, there’s no problem, though. When one starts to climb up, the others reach up and pull them back down.» That’s called jealousy, and sometimes it happens among believers.

But here in the process, or in the midst of all this, David has faced betrayal by his father-in-law and ultimately by his own son, Absalom. Look, here’s the bottom line: people are going to hurt you in life. And the reality is you are going to hurt people in life as well. Sometimes you’ll be hurt by people that you tried to help. And the only way you can deal with this is to keep short accounts and forgive them. Even if they don’t deserve your forgiveness, forgive them anyway. It’ll help you sleep better at night. C.S. Lewis wrote these words: «God allows us to feel the frailty of human love so we’ll appreciate the strength of his.»

You know, sometimes I hear people say, «The reason I don’t want to become a Christian is because I will no longer be in control of my own life.» Hey, everybody, I’m Greg Laurie talking to you about who’s really in control here. You know, actually, you’re not in control of your own life if you’re not a Christian. I hate to break this to you, but someone else is in control, and it’s the devil. The Bible says that the devil, called the god of this world in scripture, blinds the minds of those that do not believe and holds people captive. In fact, we’re told we should pray that they would be taken out of the captivity of the devil. The reality is it’s only when you become a Christian that you are really set free.

So you may be saying you’re in charge of your life and that you are the captain of your ship. You' re the master of your destiny. Actually, you aren’t. Let Jesus be the captain of your ship, and you’ll experience the freedom you’ve wanted all along. You know, we live in a culture that does not value forgiveness. In fact, forgiveness is seen as a sign of weakness. Our culture values vengeance and payback. Many operate by the old adage, «Don’t get mad; get even.» But forgiveness doesn’t mean condoning bad behavior or dismissing it. It doesn’t even necessarily suggest reconciliation. It just means you forgive.

You say, «Well, should we be reconciled to people?» Yes, if possible. But the Bible says, «As much as it is possible, live at peace with all men.» Some people you can’t live at peace with. They’re usually named Karen. I’m kidding! I know this is very upsetting if your name is Karen. I didn’t choose the name. I’m sorry about this, but it’s kind of entered into our vocabulary now. But the thing is, some people you just can’t reconcile with. But you can forgive them, and they don’t deserve your forgiveness, but you should forgive them for your own peace of mind.

Forgiving someone means you’re surrendering the right to get even-not giving them what they deserve. And that’s another reason that David was a man after God’s own heart: he was a forgiver. He had multiple opportunities to kill King Saul, and he would not raise his hand against him, even though Saul was attempting to kill him. And even more, he extended grace to the grandson of Saul, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan. That boy’s name was Mephibosheth. And Jonathan was a bright light in this dark place because Jonathan and David became close friends. And even though Jonathan was really the heir to the throne, he understood that God had called David to that role, not him. And so David forgave.

And I think that’s so important. You know, sometimes you hear people say today, «I’m just mad at the church. I’m mad at the church. The church hurt me.» I’ve heard that far too many times. But to me, that is an excuse. Okay, what do you mean the church hurt you? «I went to church, and I had a bad experience.» Okay, so now you’re mad at the entire church of Jesus Christ around the world because you had a single bad experience in church? Maybe it wasn’t them; maybe it was you. I don’t know. Maybe you did have a bad experience, but now you’re never going to go to church again? Are you sure that’s not an excuse? That would be like saying, «I went to a bad restaurant, I had a bad meal, and I’m never eating in a restaurant again.» I don’t think that’s going to happen. Or, «I went to a doctor; I didn’t like the way this doctor treated me. He didn’t do what he should have done properly, so I’m never going to a doctor again.»

Listen to this: Jesus Christ established his church, and one day you’re going to need the church more than you realize. I have a friend who lost his daughter in a tragic automobile accident. Actually, his name is David. We played tennis that morning, and his sweet little daughter named Ivette was cheering me-not her father-on in the game. She wanted me to win; I loved that. And then we were going to have lunch that day, and I got a call expecting him to tell me where we were going to go to lunch, and he gave me the tragic news: there had been an automobile accident. He and his daughter were in a car that flipped upside down. So I went to the hospital, and I’m there in the room, and there he is — his daughter has died, and he doesn’t know this yet. And though I am a pastor, I didn’t know what to say to him, and I was just dumbfounded. We were all so stunned. Someone got a call to Pastor Chuck Smith, and in he came. And I remember what he was wearing: an old white t-shirt and white pants splattered with paint because he was painting that afternoon. He left what he was doing and came straight to the hospital, and it was like a masterclass on what a pastor does. He walked into that pain; he walked into that difficult situation. He sat down and was going to be the one now to break the news to David that his daughter had died. And Chuck handled it so beautifully. I remember he said, «You know, David, when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said to the Father, 'Father, if it’s possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done.' And David, your daughter is with the Lord right now.» And then he went on to minister to him.

Now, there’s no easy way to deliver a message like that, but he did it in such a compassionate way. And I thought, «Thank God for pastors.» You know, when you need one, you need one. And they come in representing the Lord. It’s so easy to critique pastors and critique leaders. And I’m not saying we shouldn’t be critiqued, but I’m saying maybe we don’t realize the important role they play in the world today. And we should thank God for them and pray for them instead of being so quick to criticize them.

Now, I know it sounds self-serving because I’m a pastor, but I’m not really saying this about me-I’m saying this about pastors in general. I know so many pastors, and any pastor that messes up, you better believe it’s going to be a story in the news, and you’re going to hear every detail about how that pastor failed. And it does happen. But you never hear about the thousands that faithfully serve God for their entire life. That’s not a sizzling headline. We want to hear all the sordid details of all the horrible things they might have done. And I think because then non-believers can say, «Oh, you see, they’re all hypocrites. I hate the church. I’m against the church.» And on and on it goes. But there’s nothing like the church, and the church steps in where other people don’t. We step into so many situations where there’s crisis, where there’s need; we’re there on the ground. Christian relief organizations-I think of our church on Maui, how we were able to immediately extend help due to the generosity of people around the country that gave to our Harvest Maui relief fund, and we were able to help them with food, clothing, house payments, and the basic necessities of life.

So it’s so important. Get over your anger and stop criticizing the church, and find out how you can be a vibrant part of it because God has established it. All right, that’s point number one.

Point number two: God is in control of our lives and he determines how long we’ll live. I raised this earlier. Let me elaborate a few more moments. He is in control of this. Again, in Psalm 31, David writes, «I’m trusting you, O Lord,» saying, «My times are in your hands,» or «My future is in your hands.» So stop worrying about how long you’re going to live. And some people are doing this today: «Oh, how long am I going to live?» And you know what? All of your tofu and all of your kale are not going to extend your life. So have a few pieces of bacon and enjoy yourself. It worked out for Pearl Cantrell, didn’t it? Jesus said this: «Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?» God has a future planned for you because we all know Jeremiah 29:11: «I know the thoughts that I think towards you,» says the Lord, «thoughts of peace, not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.» So never be afraid to commit an unknown future to a known God.

Point number three: Get your eyes off of your problems and put them on God. Get your eyes off of your problems and put them on God. Look at Psalm 31:23: «O love the Lord, all you his saints; for the Lord preserves the faithful and fully repays the proud person. Be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.» What is your hope in right now? Is your hope in money? Is your hope in your career? Is your hope even in your family, as good as a family can be? Is your hope in a politician? All of these will fail you in some way, shape, or form. Put your hope in God; He will never fail you.

Right? Psalm 119 verse 114 says, «You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my only source of hope,» His word. And then we read over in Romans 15:4, «Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently on the promise of God.» We need hope in this life, and I think that’s so very important. I love the statement of Corrie ten Boom: «If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at God, you’ll be at rest.»

So let’s wrap this up. The story of David during this time he wrote in Psalm 27 as well as Psalm 31: «Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.» See, David didn’t know the rest of his story, and you don’t know the rest of your story either, do you? So don’t worry about it because someone is writing your story, and it’s not you; it’s God. And you know what? It’s a good story. And when you get to the end of it, you’re going to look back and say, «Lord, thank you that you were in control of my life.»

Let me close with this: What or who is your hope in today? And my question is, will that hope sustain you in your last hour? Only God can do that for you. Here’s the good news: As a Christian, I am indestructible until God is done with me. But when God’s done with me, that’s it. I don’t decide the length of my life through all of my little health regimens and vitamins, supplements, and all that. Maybe I’ll live a healthier life, but ultimately that’s in the hands of God, you see?

But until the Lord is done, I don’t have to worry about any threat against my life. Jesus said, «You’ll drink of any deadly poison, and it will not harm you.» Venomous snakes will bite you, and you will not die. There, Mark 16. Now some people have misinterpreted this and think it’s a good idea to hand rattlesnakes around in a church service. Clearly, this is not what Jesus was advocating. That’s not trusting the Lord; that’s testing the Lord. And that’s playing loco, okay? But what He is saying is that if you were bitten by a venomous snake and it wasn’t your time to go, you would survive it.

In fact, this did happen to Paul the Apostle when he was shipwrecked on an island, and he was warming himself by the fire and a venomous snake bit him. He just shook it off into the fire because it wasn’t his time. But yes, his time did come, and Paul was martyred for the faith ultimately. But God had a plan until that time for his life, and then we go into His presence in heaven. So stop worrying about these things and focus on living your life to the fullest for the glory of God.

See every day for what it is: it’s a gift, it’s a treasure. Don’t waste it. I love what Moses wrote: «Lord, help me to number my days that I may apply my heart to wisdom.» Here’s the thing we should be more focused on: not how long will I live in this life, but rather where will I spend the afterlife? See, we talk a lot about this life; we could call it the before life. It’s not really all that long compared to eternity, but eternity has no end whatsoever. And I ask you, where will you spend the afterlife? Listen, you decide in this life where you will spend the afterlife.