As a young teenager, I remember hearing my dad share a
story he once heard that simply reminds us to keep our fork. Even in recent years, I have heard my dad
tell this story on more than one occasion.
The message in it is so simple, yet the meaning behind the message is so
profound. The story tells of a man who
was told to “keep his fork,” while attending a dinner on the grounds at church
one Sunday. When he asked why, another
church member responded, “For dessert.
The best is yet to come!”
What would the world be like if Christians everywhere
held on to this attitude in our everyday existence? Instead of griping and complaining about
every twist and turn our lives may take, what if we simply held on to the
promise in God’s Word that the best truly is yet to come? Just as the man was instructed to keep his
fork, we should keep our faith. The
Bible tells us to stand firm in our faith.
Yet we often find ourselves floundering, uncertain of our future,
wondering if God can even hear our prayers.
We get caught up in whether or not the new flowers on the
communion table match the sanctuary. We
grapple over the choir director’s choices of songs each Sunday and we debate
over which deacon should lead the offertory prayer. From paint colors to upholstery and cleaning
products to hymn books, individuals in churches tend to focus on the things
that are insignificant. More important
focal points would be whether or not the people of the church were seeking
God’s will in every decision they make, not only in the life of the church, but
in their own lives as well.
God’s Word says that without faith, it is impossible to
please God. If we micromanage every
aspect of the church and never consult the true Head of the church, then it is
certain that all efforts to succeed spiritually will fail. We must put our lives and our ministries in
God’s hands. We must pray and seek His
direction. We cannot throw our fork on
the tray every single time, expecting that a new one will be at our disposal. We also cannot assume that dessert will be
served with every meal. Sometimes, we
must delve deeper into the main course first.
In this case, we are talking about spending more time in prayer and less
time waiting for the next blessing to ascend.
There will be many times in our lives when God says,
wait. He may not answer our prayers the
first or second time we seek His will for our lives. He may be preparing us in advance for a
greater work beyond our imagination. But
whether we see the hand of God move in our lives instantly or years down the
road, we must have faith that He is working on our behalf. Just like the man who was told to keep his
fork, he sat in expectation that dessert would be served. He didn’t complain about the slow service or
the fact he would have to eat it with a fork that he had used to eat his main
course. He just sat and waited
patiently, with the knowledge that the best truly was on its way.
In Ecclesiastes 7:10, we read that the best is yet to
come. It simply says that it is not wise
to ask if the old days were better. We
must focus on the days ahead. You may be
going through a trial that seems insurmountable. Recently, I learned of an entire family who
perished in an accident. I cannot
imagine the grief that their loved ones must be going through. But even for these individuals, who are
overcome with sorrow, I can tell them with a calm assurance that I know the
best is yet to come.
God’s will is
greater than our own will. He always
knows what is best. While many things in
life cannot be explained in this life, you can rest assured that God works all
things together for good, to those who love God and are called according to His
purpose. One day, we will reach our
Heavenly home. The trials of this life
will be a distant memory. Everything
will become as clear as day. So keep
your fork; the best is yet to come!
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer
