Inspiration: You Don’t Need the Full Map: Faith, Discernment, and the God Who Leads Through Chaos
As war breaks out abroad and instability spreads at home, believers are reminded: trust doesn’t require total understanding—just confidence in the One who knows.
“Craving clarity, we attempt to eliminate the risk of trusting God. Fear of the unknown path stretching ahead of us destroys childlike trust in the Father’s active goodness and unrestricted love.”
― Brennan Manning, Ruthless Trust: The Ragamuffin's Path to God
Very early that first Easter morning, before the sun rose and before hope was even a thought, a small band of women walked toward a sealed tomb. They brought spices. They brought grief. They brought love. But they did not bring expectation. They were going to honor a corpse, not celebrate a resurrection.
Instead, they met an angel. “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5–6).
They hadn’t mapped out what God was doing. They didn’t need to. God was already at work.
To our many Christian readers: the world feels unstable. In recent weeks, Israel and Iran have exchanged deadly strikes. The United States has entered the conflict, and Iran’s threats to close the Strait of Hormuz have shaken global markets. Domestically, unrest has surged after ICE raids in major cities led to protests and hundreds of arrests. Political tension simmers across the country.
It’s tempting to try to make sense of it all—match headlines with scripture, and predict what comes next. We long for clarity because clarity feels like control. But Jesus didn’t ask for understanding. He asked for trust. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in Me” (John 14:1).
We know Jesus is coming again. That’s not up for debate. That’s a core confession of the Church. But fear has no place in that truth, because the future belongs to the One who has already won. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
Faith is not a tool to decode tomorrow. It’s a surrender to the One who holds it.
This message is not about prophetic precision. It’s about leaning your head on the chest of Christ like John did at the table. It’s about believing when you cannot see. It’s about hearing Jesus ask, “Do you love Me?” and saying yes, even if you’re not sure what comes next.
Brennan Manning once wrote, “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle.” If there was ever a time for lived trust, not lip-service faith, it is now.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). That verse isn’t a suggestion. It’s a survival guide.
No one knows when Christ will return. Many generations before us thought they were the last. They were wrong. But they were right to stay faithful. “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7).
What matters isn’t the full map. What matters is the One who walks the road with us.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).
And that’s enough.
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” Corrie Ten Boom