Food for Thought: Prophecy vs. Prudence

Jemima Packington claims she can predict the future with asparagus. As the only known "asparamancer," this 63-year-old British woman says she sees the future by observing how the spears fall after she throws them into the air. Packington claims she is 75-90% accurate noting her predictions about Brexit and President Trump's summit with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. She says, "I go through my predictions yearly and think, 'Yep, that's happened.'" Her 2019 prediction is for a U.S. recession and a Brexit far less painful than feared. The Week, 1/18/19, p.12

Old Testament prophets foretold the coming of John the Baptist and the birth, death and resurrection of the Messiah, but modern-day prognosticators are not so reliable. Some may guess the coming of certain events, but on the whole, they fall short of predicting accurately much of the time. Rather than rely on a person who says they think they know what will happen, we are better off using the commonsense God gave us. We are much wiser to use forethought and prepare for likely contingencies.

We may not always take the right precautions, but with God’s care and guidance we are more likely to be prepared for what might happen than if we depend on someone throwing asparagus spears into the air. Using our best judgment, based on what we know is likely, is just practical planning. That said, we also know that what we anticipate is not always what God has planned. We need to be prepared to submit to His will.

“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” Proverbs 14:8

“Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding, but what is in the heart of fools is made known.” Proverbs 14:33

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

It is interesting to try to predict what might happen, but living with faith that God has the right plans for us is how we are called to approach the future with confidence and the assurance that all will be well.