This morning I was meditating on the subject of the unknown future, and on the concept of the inscrutability of God's plans for us. Ultimately, we know that His plan includes an eternity with Him, but much of what lies between the present and our heavenly home is hidden from our eyes.

Not only does the road ahead of us remain a question mark, in earthly terms...but that road sometimes seems shaped like a question mark, doesn't it? Curving, turning round on itself, leaving little hope for seeing farther than the very next step, and often not even seeming to point in the right direction.

But God (there's that wonderful phrase again) has a way of making the crooked straight. More accurately, He has a way of slowly revealing that His path was straight all along and that our myopic vision was the culprit, making all in front of us appear distorted.

In fact, it occured to me while reflecting on this metaphor, that God's desire in my life is to turn the question marks into exclamation points! He has plans for me:

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'

(Jer. 29:11)

He KNOWS the plans, and He is using every step of the path to straighten the crooked. He is in the business of turning the question mark into an exclamation point, a declaration that He will bring glory to Himself out of all the elements in my life that are now mysteries to me. I cannot see what He is doing, save for shadowy glimpses here and there, because, as He reminds me

"...My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
"So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
"For you will go out with joy
And be led forth with peace;
The mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

(Psalm 55:8-12)

Even the mountains and trees will give voice to God's exclamation point in my life when He accomplishes what He desires in me...He WILL be successful and His creation will break into shouts of joy! No more question marks, nothing hidden, no more mystery. And none of the pain that goes with the questions.

Having this perspective allows me to embrace the questions, knowing that my Father's perfect vision straightens out all the crooked punctuation and turns it into a declaration, with exclamation point, that His gifts, at this season and always, are good and perfect.