Here’s another guest post by Molly Hanberry

I can’t count the number of times I’ve asked God for a peek of what’s to come. Just a hint of what the future holds to tide me over until the time arrives.

Waiting is a pretty common theme in Bible stories. Somehow, it’s not surprising to me that two of my lifelong favorites feature seasons of waiting. The first of those is the story of David.

David’s story doesn’t begin or end with Goliath. Sure, it was an important moment in his life, but before he killed a giant, he was anointed king. Of course, this was years before he was crowned king. He had plenty of time to doubt his destiny and maybe start to think that Samuel was just an old man missing a few screws.

The other story I love is that of Joseph. He was the poster boy of favorite children, and we all know about a certain coat he was given. But Joseph was also known for having dreams. Dreams that meant one day his brothers would bow before his feet.

Whether or not David or Joseph asked for a snapshot of the future, God gave them both exactly that. But do you know what happened after those sneak peeks? A lot of waiting. A lot of things that God didn’t show them ahead of time. If they had known what they would live through first, they might have said, “Thanks, but no thanks”.

Life lived in exile? Away from home, family, and any semblance of comfort?

“Pass.”

David spent years on the run, hiding from a king who wanted him dead. Joseph was sold into slavery, wrongfully accused of a crime, thrown into prison, and forgotten.

David ran until it was time to stop being a fugitive and to start being the king God had created him to be. Joseph languished in prison until it was time to use his talents to save an empire from famine and drought.

I think most of the time when we ask God to show us where we’re heading and He grants that request, we forget that it’s like looking through a telescope. Just because we can see our destination more clearly doesn’t mean we are any closer to it. There are things in the foreground that we can’t see because our focus is on the distance.

Is a glimpse of the future worth it at all?

If God chooses to give us the glimpse, then yes, it is worth it. Full disclosure, I started writing this two weeks ago, and that’s not the answer I’d originally given. My original answer was conditional. Dependent on the human response to a supernatural sneak peek.

But when God chooses to pull back the curtain, there has to be a reason. A reason that outweighs every misstep we will make on the way to reaching the future we’ve glimpsed.

Whether that reason is to push us out of our comfort zone or to slow life down into a season of waiting, the reason is His, which makes it worth it. And as long as we’re following Him, all that really matters is the next step.

To read more by Molly, check out The Human Response and Little Women Revisited