The Sheep Don't Know Where They're Going — They Follow the Shepherd

Thinking About the Future as a Christian

I have spent the past few months gnawing my teeth over the future. I turn 27 this year, and somehow that feels very old. It's only three years away from 30, and according to the lie I've been sold, life is supposedly over after that.

I've found myself thinking about going back to school, establishing a career, getting married, and starting a family. Yet all of these things feel somewhat impossible. Every time I try to picture my future, everything seems blurry. I can't see what city I'll be living in, what industry I'll be working in, or what my life will look like at all. I see absolutely nothing, and that is frightening.

Recently, while watching David, the animated film on Netflix, I heard a simple but profound statement:

"The sheep don't know where they're going—they follow the shepherd."

Those words made me pause and consider the way I've been thinking about my future. I don't believe God wants us to never think about tomorrow. However, I do wonder how pleased He is when our thoughts about the future consume us to the point of sleepless nights and anxious striving. I strongly doubt that kind of worry is pleasing to Him.

The Word of God has much to say about how Christians should think about the future. Certain things are absolute when we are trusting in Christ. We know where we will ultimately end up—enjoying God forever. We are given clear commands about how the Christian life should be lived and how everything we do should be done for the glory of God.

That's one less thing to worry about.

Then there is everything in between.

Scripture does not tell me what career I will end up in, what city I will live in, or who I will marry if marriage is God's plan for me. In those areas, God gives us the grace of making choices. He created each of us differently, and the personalities, gifts, and talents He has given us will lead us in different directions—all under His sovereign care.

God is also aware of the desires of our hearts.

Now and again,  life suddenly pivots. When it does, I often feel as though everything has gone wrong. Has it really? Maybe not. But it certainly feels that way, especially when things are not unfolding according to my plans and my desires are unmet.

To be honest, I know that the Lord's plans are best. Yet there are moments when I become attached to the vision I have created for my life. It's not a vision filled with sinful ambitions. It's a vision of good things: a car, a marriage, children, a home. These are beautiful gifts that the Lord may choose to give.

But they are not promises.

Yet somehow, when the relationship falls apart, or we don't get the job we interviewed for, it can feel as though everything has gone desperately wrong.

Recently, I was reading Habakkuk, and chapter 2, verse 3 particularly stood out to me:

"For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay." (Habakkuk 2:3, ESV)

The vision comes from God. He is the one with the plan; it is not Habakkuk's plan. God reminds Habakkuk that His purposes are true and that although they may seem delayed, "the vision awaits its appointed time."

In its original context, this passage refers to the suffering God's people were experiencing and to God's ultimate plan to bring justice and deliverance.

That distinction matters. Habakkuk is not being told that all his personal hopes will come to pass exactly as he imagined. He is being reminded that God's purposes will not fail.

Even so, I cannot ignore the comfort found in the words, "If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come."

There is assurance that everything God has planned for His people will take place. At times, waiting feels like delay, and sometimes it even feels like denial. Yet what God has promised will surely come to pass. Not because we can see the outcome, but because He has already declared it.

Perhaps that is one of the hardest parts of following God. We often want certainty about our own plans, while God calls us to trust His. We want to know where we will live, who we will marry, what career we will have, and how everything will unfold. Yet God rarely gives us that kind of detail.

Instead, He gives us Himself.

And that is enough.

But what about our plans?

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

(Proverbs 16:9)

Recently, I had to face the heartache of realizing that my heart had run a thousand steps ahead of where God hadn’t actually led me. It was gut-wrenching.

The truth is that there will be moments when our plans are shaped by the desires we have for our lives. But are our hearts always trustworthy?

Jeremiah 17:9 says:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

Knowing the condition of our hearts, it is fair to say that they may not be the best guides for planning our lives.

Thankfully, we do not walk alone. We have a God who establishes our steps. He exercises sovereign authority over the outcome of events, even when those outcomes differ from our expectations.

This does not mean God is unaware of our hopes, dreams, or desires. He knows them completely.

More than that, He knows what is best.

And because He knows what is best, there are times when He lovingly withholds what we want because it is not what we need, not what is best for us in that season, or not what ultimately serves His good purposes.

The sheep do not know where they are going.

They simply follow the Shepherd.

And perhaps that is enough.