Ecclesiastes
Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, so that man can find out nothing that will come after him. Ecclesiastes 7:13-14
Every day, thousands of people turn to the horoscope to find out what their day is going to be like. This is one of the many ways that people use in an attempt to predict their future. Fearfully, they think, "If only I knew something about my future, I could make plans to prevent bad things from happening."
God does not want us to know about the future, except for that future He has promised. Sometimes it may appear as though we are victims of chance. The reality is that God has set a pattern of salvation for our lives. He has appointed the day of adversity and the day of prosperity. The bumpy road is as much God's doing as the smooth highway. The highs and the lows all fit neatly into God's plan. Moreover, when God has a plan, no one can change it. “For who can make straight what He has made crooked?” We are not the masters of our fate nor the captains of our souls. He is and it is not fate. It is His predetermined pathway to heaven.
For this reason, in the present, we can rejoice in the knowledge that our sins are forgiven. As for the future, all that we need to know is that God has a plan and He will be with us every step of the way. When the day of prosperity comes, we will rejoice and give thanks to God. When the day of adversity comes, we will know that God makes everything work together for our good. There is no uncertain future. There is only the certainty of knowing that the unalterable plan of God will bring us to eternal glory.
Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
The Lutheran Service Book 752:2