So be quite sure that nothing will come to you in your earthly
future, which He does not Himself accompany to interpret it, and to
make it pure blessing.

IV. The practical duty in view of the future.

(a) The great thing we ought to look to in the future is our work,--
not what we shall enjoy or what we shall endure, but what we shall
do. This is healthful and calming.

(b) The great remedy for morbid anticipation lies in regarding life
as the opportunity for service. Never mind about the future, let it
take care of itself. Work! That clears away cobwebs from our brains,
as when a man wakes from troubled dreams, to hear 'the sweep of
scythe in morning dew,' and the shout of the peasant as he trudges to
his task, and the lowing of the cattle, and the clink of the hammer.

(c) The great work we have to do in the future is to be witnesses for
Christ. This is the meaning of all life; we can do it in joy and in
sorrow, and we shall bear a charmed life till it be done. So the
words of the text are a promise of preservation.

Then, dear brethren, how do you stand fronting that Unknown? How can
you face it without going mad, unless you know God and trust Him as
your Father through Christ? If you do, you need have no fear. To-
morrow lies all dim and strange before you, but His gentle and strong
hand is working in the darkness and He will shape it right. He will
fit you to bear it all. If you regard it as your supreme duty and
highest honour to be Christ's witness, you will be kept safe,