Isa 42:16 (1): “Entering The Unknown By Faith”

(Introduction – “Our Uncertain Future…. Faith Is The Key!”)

INTRODUCTION TO OUR SERIES:

Folks, as the New Year comes upon us, we are reminded that we are embarking on a new part of our life’s journey that is filled with many unknowns.  These unknown events can challenge a Christian’s faith to its very core.  This is the reason that I felt it was important to take a few devotional lessons and address keys to “Entering The Unknown By Faith”.

In this six part devotional series, we will be looking at Isaiah 42:16. This is a wonderful text to use in this devotional series. In this series, we will learn about how to handle unforeseen, challenging life events based upon our trust in the Lord and His enabling graces.

Lord willing, by His grace alone, we will be uncovering the wisdom found in God’s Word that will help us to handle all the “unknowns” that this New Year will hold for us.

Our devotionals will be looking at:

1. Dec 26th – Our Uncertain Future…. Faith Is The Key!
2. Dec 27th – Our Blindness To The Events Our Future Holds
3. Dec 28th – Our Future Holds Events We Have Never Experienced
4. Dec 29th – Our Future Is Revealed To Us One Event At A Time… In The Lord’s Time
5. Dec 30th – Our Future Events May Be Hard To Maneuver But The Lord Straightens Them Out
6. Dec 31st – Our Lord Will Care For Us Every Passing Day

May the Lord bless our study!

TODAY’S TEXTS:

Isa 42:16 KJV; Isa 43:1-2 KJV; Mat 6:25-34 KJV; Heb 11:8 KJV; Jas 4:13-14 KJV;

 

TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL:

Our Uncertain Future… Faith Is The Key!

Folks, as we begin this series I just wanted to remind us of the four basic principles we will be emphasizing in this devotional series…

 

Principle #1 – We cannot know what tomorrow holds…

Jas 4:13-14 KJV – “Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”

 

Principle #2 – The Lord promises that He will be with us and enable us as we face the coming unknown events in our lives…

Isa 42:16 KJV – “And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.”

 

Principle #3 – The key to handling the coming, unknown, events in life is our trust in the Lord and His promise of care that He made to us…

Mat 6:25-34 KJV – “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

 

Principle #4 Faith in the Lord is what allows us to remain faithful to the Lord as we step out into the unknown.

Heb 11:8 KJV – “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.”

These are the four principles that will prepare us the unknown events that this New Year will hold for each one of us.

 

 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

May we all look ahead to the unknown events of this New Year without fear. Instead let’s look ahead with joy, confidence and faith knowing our Lord will be with us and enabling and caring for us every step of the way!

Isa 43:1-2 KJV – “But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

May the Lord graciously bless us as we embark on this devotional series.

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