Benescke Janse van Rensburg

One of my friends recently bought a set of toy electric cars for his 3 year old boy, Janco’s birthday. When Janco opened the gift, his face lit up. He was extremely happy. Things changed however, when Janco’s dad started to unpack the box. Janco was in tears. "Why does the content in the box not look like the picture on the box?” he asked. The more his father tried to explain to him that he needed to put the pieces together, the harder Janco cried.

Only when the assembled product stood on the mat, did Janco understand. His smile was back and the tears something of the past.

In our lives, we easily act like Janco when things do not turn out as we hoped for. The relationship ends. The disabled child is born. We are retrenched at work. A loved one dies. A pregnancy ends in a miscarriage. It seems like our country’s government is falling apart. We can easily become depressed because we only see a part of the picture. The shock of a disappointment can cause us to worry or live in fear. We can even start to blame God or turn our backs on Him.

In 1 Corinthians 13:12, Paul reminds us, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” In Isaiah 46: 9-10, God says, “For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” And in Psalm 139: 16 we are reminded that God knew us before our birth: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.”

God remains in control of our lives, our future and our country. His picture "on the front of the box" for us is that we will experience a life in abundance. He has plans to prosper us and not harm us. If He says that He knows the end of the beginning and that we can trust Him, that's exactly what we need to do.

In Zimbabwe, people came together and prayed to God for a break through in their country. He answered their prayers. In South Africa, a group of leaders will be praying at the parliament today between 13:00 and 16:00. May I invite you to pray together with us? Whether you do it in your car on the way to an appointment, in the long queue while waiting to pay for your Black Friday bargains or whether you sit with your family around the table. Let’s ask God to let his kingdom come in our country. Let's ask Him to establish godly leaders and enable them to make decisions with integrity.

And in our personal lives, let us ask God to help us trust Him in each season - even if we are going through a season that does not even feel close to the “picture in front of the box”. God bless.

Father God, thank you for always remaining our Father. Please help me to keep my faith in You in uncertain times, rather than allowing fear and concern to overwhelm me. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

·         Feedback: Share your testimony of God’s grace or tell me what fears you are struggling with at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. I look forward to hearing from you. Benescke