Walking safely into the unknown

King George VI, while delivering the Christmas day Commonwealth address to the nation said, “I said to the man at the gate of the year, ‘Give me a light that I may walk safely into the unknown’. And he said to me, ‘Put your hand into the hand of God and it shall be to you better than the light, and safer than the known’”. The king asked into the unknown (new year) at the end of the year, without knowing that he will die soon. He died of cancer six months later. 

Now you are in the threshold of entering into a new year. You don’t know what lies ahead. You may ask for a light to walk safely into the unknown. I strongly advise you to ‘put your hand into the hand of God’ as suggested by the man at the gate of the year to King George.

I remember reading about the Soviet wrestler Djoul Falakian, who won the gold medal in the Olympics, Seoul in 1988. He received this prestigious medal after systematic training and hard work. He returned to his country after achieving his life’s ambition of winning the title. 

A few months later, he died along with others in a severe earthquake in the province of Armenia. The glory and name that he received as a famous Olympic champion, could not last long and save his life. He died like others.

The life in this earth is very brief and transient. But God offers us eternal life. “And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of My Hand” Jn 10:28 and it is His gift. ‘For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ Rom 6:23. What is your response to the free offer of gift of eternal life offered by God in this season?

In this world, you do everything by faith. If you travel in a bus, you believe that the driver will drive you carefully and safely to the destination. When you eat food in a hotel, you believe that it is safe without any poison. When you take medical treatment, you trust the doctor and take all the prescribed medicines.

Similarly you are called to put your trust (belief) in Jesus Christ and accept the salvation offered to you freely today. When you put your trust on Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour by faith today? This will enable you to walk safely into the unknown.