Sometimes it's good to know the future; other times we may be glad we don't! Jesus told Peter something about his future that he didn't want to hear.
Luke 22:33-34 records their conversation:
And he [Peter] said unto him, "Lord, I am ready
to go with thee, both into prison, and to death."
And he [Jesus] said, "I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow
this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me."
Try to pretend you are in Peter's place: He thought he was very brave and would risk his own life for Jesus. Yet Jesus said he would act like a coward and deny Him. How do you think you would have felt if Jesus told you that about your future?
How do you think Peter felt after what Jesus said actually came true? (
He would have been very upset and embarrassed.)
Jesus didn't make a guess about the future, He knew what would happen. Jesus knew that one of His closest friends was going to deny he even knew Him. If your friend did that to you, how would you feel?
Jesus knows when we're going to blow it even before we do it. He loves us as much as He loves Peter. He died so our sins can be forgiven, and He gives us courage to keep going even when we blow it.
Jesus encouraged Peter to use his failure to encourage the others who had also abandoned Him. Peter spent the rest of his life doing just that! He told everyone he could about Jesus.
Have you ever been sitting in a class and wondered, "Why do I have to know this stuff? I will never use this!" Or maybe you have a friend or relative that knows a lot of useless information. What purpose is all this knowledge?
God has lots of knowledge. In fact He has all knowledge, and none of it is useless. Peter told the crowd that Jesus was “delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God" (
Acts 2:23).
- What is foreknowledge? (The knowledge of future events)
- What knowledge did God have about Jesus' future? (That He would die, pay the penalty for all our sin, and rise again from the dead)
- What was the purpose of God's foreknowledge? (To establish a way for us to be forgiven of all our sins. The purpose of God's foreknowledge was for our security)
There will be many things about your journey in life that you do not understand. At those times, God is the only One Who understands what is happening and how it benefits you in the future. He gave His Son as proof that His Way is always in your best interest.
In
Proverbs 3:5-6, God directed how we should respond today about the future. He said, "
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." God wants us to:
- Trust Him
- Choose His Way and not your own way
- Seek His Way through prayer and Bible reading
- Wait for Him to guide your next step
Which of these is the most difficult for you? Why?
Why do you think it's important for God to know the future? (
Nothing surprises Him: the good, the bad or the ugly, and He has it all worked out.)
WHY DOES THIS MATTER:
Because God Knows Everything, He knows the future and He has planned for it according to His perfect will. No need to worry.
TAKING ACTION:
Talk with God about how you feel regarding the fact that He knows everything that will ever happen. Are you glad that nothing ever catches Him by surprise?
Use your knowledge to solve the puzzle about God's knowledge. You can click the puzzle image below for a larger and printable version.
GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING PUZZLE
Read
Isaiah 46:10 for a clue to solving this puzzle. First do the addition and subtraction then use the key to find the corresponding letters. Solve the puzzle by placing the right letter in each box.
Key
A=1 C=2 E=3 G=4 H=5 I=6 L=7 N=8 O=9
P=10 R=11 S=12 T= 13 V=14 W=15 Y=16 M=17
