No. 492 "The Wisdom to See Later, Not Just Now" July 26, 2026

No. 492 "The Wisdom to See Later, Not Just Now" July 26, 2026 We know "now" very well. We know when we're hurting now. We know when we've failed now. We know when the road is blocked now. When a child falls, we want to pick them up immediately. When we fail a test, it feels like life is over. When we lose a job, we can't see the road ahead. When we lose someone we love, the world feels like it has stopped. Our eyes are always fixed on "now." But we rarely know what "later" holds. Peter was the same way. When Jesus said, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now," Peter immediately asked, "Lord, where are you going?" (John 13:36). All Peter could see was Jesus leaving. But in Jesus' eyes, there was resurrection beyond the cross, the coming of the Spirit, and the birth of the church. So Jesus told him, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later" (John 13:36). That was not merely a prediction about the future. It was the warmest promise Jesus could give to a disciple who was about to fail. Within hours, Peter would deny Jesus three times. But Jesus already knew that failure — and He already knew the restoration that lay beyond it. Peter could only see his own today. Jesus was looking at Peter's "later." Our lives are often the same. There are moments when we finally understand, years later, that something we couldn't make sense of at the time was actually God's guidance. A road that seemed like a dead end turned out to be the start of something new, and a failure we once mourned became the very thing that led us into deeper faith. Faith, then, is not the ability to understand everything right now — it is the courage to trust God even when we don't understand. Joseph knew this too. When his brothers sold him into slavery in Egypt, he had no idea what God was doing. But years later, as prime minister of Egypt, he could say, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good" (Genesis 50:20). All Joseph could see was betrayal and despair, but in God's eyes, a "later" that would save both Egypt and Israel was already being prepared. Notice that Jesus never told Peter, "Be strong," or "Don't fail." He simply said, "Later, you will…" That short phrase carries the whole weight of God's timing and grace. We still get discouraged by our "now." But God is preparing our "later." There are tears now, but comfort later. We don't understand now, but we will later (John 13:7). We cannot follow now, but we will follow later (John 13:36). A Christian's hope is not found in today's circumstances, but in Jesus Christ, who is even now preparing our "later." Take the first step of that trust with us — through the New Believers' Gathering held on the first Sunday of every month, and through Foundations of Life, which begins next month. You will find grace and wisdom waiting for you there.