November 4 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

God has given us the ability to remember the past. Our brains can store information in amazing quantities, and we can produce it at the flash of an impulse.

But the God who gave us the ability to retain the past has not allowed us to know the future. This decision of God is to the praise of his wisdom and for our own benefit.

Foolishly, we cannot stop trying to rend the curtain that God himself has spread before our eyes. To this very day, we try to read the path of the future in the entrails of chickens, the constellations of stars, the lines in the palm of a hand, or the shape of leaves in a teacup. There must be a mixture of anger and pity in the smile of God when, tonight, he sees fifty million people read their horoscopes.

God wants us to live by faith. And the book of Revelation is not going to change that rule. God did not give it to us so that we could have a schedule of future events, as some seem to think. God himself comes to us through this book.

After we have seen our Lord through the eyes of John, we may hear the Word of comfort that the Lord had John write down for us.

"Do not be afraid," Christ says. "You are going to an unknown future. You don't know a step ahead. As far as you know, your last step will lead you to death. But don't be afraid. I know you, and you may know me. I have conquered death. Trust me. When you have to take that last step, place all your trust in me. Death is not the end for you. I am."

When the church receives this Word in its assembly, it calls on the One who is the first and the last: We know where we come from; we know where we are going. We know where all things come from, and we know where all things are going. "For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen" (Rom. 11:36).

REFLECTIONS

How does knowing that Jesus has conquered death comfort you, in life and in death?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.