“What Would Jesus Say to Frosty the Snowman?” - Peachtree ...

prayer life. They say there are three ways toget something done: do it yourself, paysomeone to do it, or forbid your children todo it. This morning we may be standing,paralyzed, on a mountaintop overlookingthe new year, wondering “What now?”An angel comes to the disciples and says,“What are you still doing up here? Youhave so much to look forward to.” Theangel then makes promises. In the text weread this morning, God gives us fourpromises here in this text. Promise #1:Your life is in the hands of a loving God.Acts 1:7 says “It is not your time to knowthe times or dates the Father has set by hisown authority.” We can’t know what thefuture holds, but we do know who holds thefuture. The future is a secret known only toHim. I know many of us would love to gohome and find that God has e-mailed us adetailed itinerary for the year 2001. It’s notgoing to happen. We have no choice but totrust God for our future.I once had a profoundly spiritual experiencewhile watching “Indiana Jones and theTemple of Doom.” In one scene, Indiana isrunning as fast as he can from the bad guyswith machetes, when he comes to aprecipice with a thousand-foot drop. Thereis no way to get across it. The bad guys arecoming fast. This is the end of IndianaJones! We see a closeup of his face. (Youknow, Harrison Ford has made a career outof looking worried.) Then, Indiana Jonesdoes a crazy thing. He steps out into thinair, and as his foot comes down, a bridgematerializes out of nowhere! He crosses thebridge and escapes. When I saw that Ithought, “That’s the Christian life!” We arealways stepping out, trusting that God willbe there for us – that’s the Gospel accordingto Indiana Jones.When I think of trust, I think of the mosttrusting creature in the world, my ChocolateLab, Carolina. Recently David Lettermanlisted ten reasons why dogs are better thanwives. The one I remember was “The lateryou get home at night, the happier the dog isto see you.” Carolina is the most trustingdog in the world. She positions herself infront of a doorway, rolls over on her back,spreads her legs out, and trusts you will notstep on her. She even trusts that you willlove her so much that you will reach downto pat her on the most tender part of hertummy. Do we trust our Master as much asour dogs trust us?You cannot be a Christian without trust.What was salvation for Adam and Eve in thegarden? Did God say, “Now, you must pickeighteen boxes of apples every single day”?No, He said, “Do not eat of the fruit of thattree. You must trust that I know what isbetter for you than you yourself know.”For us, trusting God in 2001 means goingforward without knowing the future andtrusting that everything that happens to us inthe coming year will occur for a reason.In Psalm 59, David mentions enemies lyingin wait for him. His “bad guys” aren’tbehind him like Indiana Jones’ pursuers; hisenemies are out ahead, and David is terrifiedto move forward. He prays, “O Lord, Yougo before me. You are already out therearound the bend, preparing my future full ofblessings and goodness and hope.”A friend of mine always signs his letters, “InHis grip.” That is how we must go forwardinto the year 2001: with the sure knowledgethat our lives are in the hands of a loving-3-