"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven (Acts 1:11)."

There is a sense in which many of us are also looking up into the sky trying to predict what will happen next in a cosmic drama we did not author and cannot edit (Genesis 1:1). Some are trying to predict what will happen next politically, others are trying to predict what will happen economically and still others, what will happen next prophetically.

Scripture is clear: Do not worry…. (Matthew 6:25-34); No one knows…, not even Jesus (Matthew 24:35-37). In the words of that popular song from the 2010 movie, “Frozen,” let it go…. Not a smidgen of worry or prediction of the future can or will change God’s calendar. It might make you more knowledgeable, but it is not the guarantee for entrance into God’s Presence. Grace is.

My understanding of what Jesus is saying to the men of Galilee and to us today is simply this, “I have a plan (Jeremiah 29:11).” What a relief it is to know that we are in such loving, capable, and predictable hands and we do not have to worry or guess at what comes next. As we serve others in Jesus’ name, let us tap into that God-given capacity to convey that same sense of comfort to those we encounter and let us replace their wondering and their worrying and their searching for a predictable future with a confident rejoicing in the knowledge that they are in such loving, capable, and predictable hands through us.

Dear Jesus, we look forward to your return.Keep us loving, serving, and waiting patiently, no matter how long it takes.Save us from the futile pursuit of chasing after teachings which claim to predict when you will return.In Jesus’ name, AMEN!