Look Backward

Mark Batterson post:  In the Latter Days

I keep reflecting on this little statement in Jeremiah 30:24: "In the latter days you will understand this."

I realize this has eschatological undertones, but I also think there is a general principle at play. Hindsight is 20/20. Jeremiah prophesies doom and destruction. He prophesies calamity and tragedy. And he knows that it won't make sense until the Israelites come out the other side of their Babylonian exile. I think most of us go through our own babylonian exile. They are seasons when things don't make sense and you can't see your way forward. But the Lord promises to heal the wound and restore their fortunes and rebuild that which was destroyed. But it only makes sense in retrospect.

If you can learn this lesson, it will help you navigate so much uncertainty in your life: some things cannot be understand looking forward. It is only in your latter days, when you look backward from the vantage point of eternity, that they will come into perfect perspective.