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Tomorrow is Not Yours Yet – Formed for This · Still, Here

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is still here.
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: A quiet moment to remember what is true.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Have you noticed how exhausting tomorrow can be?
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: Especially when tomorrow hasn't even happened yet.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: There's something we're waiting to hear.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: A decision that needs to be made.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: A conversation we're not looking forward to.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: And our minds go to work.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: We imagine what might happen.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Then we imagine what we'll do if it does happen.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Before long, we've lived through half a dozen versions of a future that hasn't arrived.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: And we're tired.
• 0:48
  SPEAKER_00: I understand that.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes worrying feels like being responsible.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: As long as we're thinking about something, at least we're doing something.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: But there comes a point when we're no longer preparing for tomorrow.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: We're allowing tomorrow to consume today.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus speaks to this in the book of Matthew, chapter 6, verse 34.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: Each day's own evil is sufficient.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate that Jesus doesn't pretend life is easy.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: He doesn't say there will be nothing to worry about.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, he acknowledges that every day has challenges of its own.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: But he invites us to recognize something important.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: We are not meant to carry every day's troubles at the same time.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: I've been with families waiting for medical results,
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: sitting beside someone they love, wondering what the next few days will bring.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I've seen how difficult waiting can be.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes the uncertainty is almost harder than the news itself.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: There may be nothing more to do for the moment.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: The doctors are working.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: The tests are pending.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: The family has made the decisions it can make.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_00: And still, the mind keeps searching for something it can control.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: In those moments,
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: I've sometimes encouraged people to think about what belongs to this hour rather
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: than what may happen next week.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe this hour is for sitting together.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's for making a phone call.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's for eating something.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's part of what Jesus is offering.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Not certainty about tomorrow.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Companionship for today.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: You may have something ahead of you that really does deserve concern.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not going to tell you to stop thinking about it.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: But I would encourage you to ask yourself one question.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: Is there anything I can faithfully do about this today?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_00: If there is, take that step.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Make the appointment.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: Have the conversation.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_00: Prepare what needs preparing.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: And if there isn't, perhaps you can give yourself permission to stop rehearsing it for a while.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Tomorrow will arrive when it arrives, and you will not have to meet it without God.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: For now, there is grace for this day, and this day is enough to live.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Take a moment for this prayer of presence.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: Lord God, you know the things I'm worried about.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: You understand why they matter to me and you know how difficult uncertainty can be.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Give me wisdom for the things I can do,
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: courage for the things I must face,
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: and peace where there is nothing more I can accomplish today.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: Help me trust that when tomorrow comes, your presence will be there too.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_00: As you leave this quiet moment, Carry this prayer with you.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: Grace for today.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: God holds tomorrow.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: Grace for today.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: God holds tomorrow.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_00: Grace for today.
• 5:01
  [music]
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, stay steady, stay open, stay present.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: You are still here.