This I Know: Trusting Your Unknown Future to a Known God

Praise for This I Know

In uncertain times, it is imperative to be grounded in timeless truths, convinced of the unchanging nature of the one true God. This I Know is an anchor of hope to calm your fears and bolster your faith. Move from head knowledge to heart knowledge as you interact with this captivating and approachable study.

KATIE M. REID

Bible study facilitator and author of Made Like Martha

This I Know is for those who long for a secure future in the middle of an uncertain world. Laura Dingman has done a masterful job of helping her readers identify truths that transform fear into strong faith and purposeful action. Invite your friends to join you in an adventure that will take you into God’s Word for answers while giving you an opportunity for extraordinary personal growth as you respond to the application questions. Don’t miss this exceptional study!

CAROL KENT

Speaker and author of He Holds My Hand: Experiencing God’s Presence and Protection

Having known Laura Dingman for more than two decades, I have watched her live out the very title of her book. What Laura has written will help her readers courageously let go of their security when it comes time for them to reach for their destiny.

GARY JOHNSON

Senior minister at Indian Creek Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN; author of Leader Shift: Helpful Insights for a God-Honoring Transition and Too Much: Living with Less in the Land of More

How will we ever be able to let go of our own need for control until we know the Person who actually holds it all? Laura helps us, step by step, release our own control and anxiety while at the same time teaching us how to hold fast to Jesus.

JEN FERGUSON

Speaker and coauthor of Pure Eyes, Clean Heart: A Couple’s Journey to Freedom from Pornography

What a powerful, beautifully composed Bible study that invites readers to know Jesus as our steady cornerstone who loves us more than we can imagine! This study truly helps us fix our eyes on Jesus and know Him deeply as we examine key Scriptures in life-changing ways.

HEATHER HOLLEMAN

Speaker, teacher, and author of Seated with Christ, Guarded by Christ, and Included in Christ

Laura’s writing is as accessible as it is transformative, sweeping up readers with simplicity and changing them with profundity. If you find yourself cowering in fear, sprinting from uncertainty, or drowning in worry, This I Know was written for you. Breathe in its wisdom, and exhale your anxieties.

JONATHAN MERRITT

Author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch; contributing writer for the Atlantic

Infusing truth with real-life experiences, Laura reminds us how we are loved in the midst of mess, we are cared for when things feel hopeless, and that the pain will always be used to make something more beautiful for God. This book will encourage you no matter where your fear and worry want to take you.

MARY GRAHAM

Blogger at trustychucks.com and writer for the Huffington Post

Studying God’s Word through This I Know allowed my soul to exhale! Remember what you already know about who God is and His great love toward you, while also reaching out to grasp new truths. In the process, you’ll let go of the anxiety and fear holding you back from being who you were created to be.

CHERIE LOWE

Author of Slaying the Debt Dragon: How One Family Conquered Their Money Monster and Found an Inspired Happily Ever After

This I Know is a guidebook of unchangeable truths about God and His Word that will provide comfort to one’s soul. Practical yet inspirational—for those looking for a Bible study that teaches how to find a life of greater peace in the presence of God, this is for you.

NANCY J. KANE

Conference speaker, author of From Fear to Love; associate professor, Moody Bible Institute

Laura Dingman’s first study, I Am Found, was a game changer of shame release for me. This new study will take the reader on an incredible journey of trust in the unchanging character and goodness of God in the midst of a changing world.

JENNIFER HAND

Executive director of Coming Alive Ministries; author of Confessions of a Coffee Cup Collector

© 2018 by

LAURA DINGMAN

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message, copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

Emphasis to Scripture has been added by the author.

Edited by Pam Pugh

Cover design: Dean Renninger

Cover image of rocks copyright © 2017 by Andrea Danti / Shutterstock (536548897). All rights reserved.

Cover image of watercolor © 2015 by Gerd Altmann / Pixabay (1076264). All rights reserved.

Author photo: Kaitlyn Huff

Interior design: Erik M. Peterson

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dingman, Laura, author.

Title: This I know : trusting your unknown future to a known God / Laura Dingman.

Description: Chicago : Moody Publishers, 2018.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017040144 (print) | LCCN 2017047171 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802495846 | ISBN 9780802415967

Subjects: LCSH: Trust in God--Christianity--Textbooks. | Providence and government of God--Christianity--Textbooks. | Christian women--Religious life.

Classification: LCC BV4637 (ebook) | LCC BV4637 .D45 2018 (print) | DDC 231--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017040144

ISBN: 978-0-8024-1596-7

We hope you enjoy this book from Moody Publishers. Our goal is to provide high-quality, thought-provoking books and products that connect truth to your real needs and challenges. For more information on other books and products written and produced from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

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To Matt—my favorite companion into the unknown. You have taught me to see the hand of God in the hard things. I wouldn’t trade our story for anything.

CONTENTS

A Note from the Author

Into the Unknown: An Introduction to This Study

Week 1: A Known God

Week 2: What Do You Really Believe?

Week 3: Cornerstone

Week 4: Our Eyes Are on You

Week 5: Regardless, You Are Good

Week 6: I Will Remember

Conclusion: Into the Unknown

My Deepest Gratitude

Bonus Material: Week One from I Am Found

Bonus Material: Week One from Who Do You Say That I AM?

Friend,

Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.

The proceeds from your purchase help pay the tuition of students attending Moody Bible Institute. These students come from around the globe and graduate better equipped to impact our world for Christ.

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The Moody Publishers Team

ABOUT THE COVER

Throughout the Scriptures, God asked the Israelites to gather rocks to build altars of remembrance. These stacked stones would serve as guideposts for not only those who gathered them, but for future generations as well. Whenever someone asked what the stones meant, Israel recounted the story of God’s miracles among them.

Years later, these stacked stones are known as cairns, a Scottish-Gaelic word. These cairns serve as landmarks on trails for travelers. They’re used now to help sojourners find their way home.

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

In our chaotic culture, worry and anxiety measure at an all-time high. So much of what swirls around us is out of our control. Plans failed. Dreams shattered. Relationships broken. Events in the news concern us. Everyday life isn’t so ordinary anymore. Optimism fades and fear flourishes.

Through it all, we long for hope. We long for freedom from the uninvited, worrisome thoughts that take over. We want something different, something else, something more holy. But how do we find it when our circumstances are challenging and we don’t know what may come?

When so much is unknown, we need to refocus on what is known—about our God and His Word. We are desperate for God to anchor our present even though we don’t know what the future holds. This I Know is a six-week Bible study that walks through biblical truths you can clutch tightly in the unknown. These truths find their roots in the trustworthy characteristics of God.

Everyone wonders what his or her future holds. At different times in our lives, anxiety and worry grip our reality in the present. God longs for us to have a worry-free (not a pain-free) life void of anxiety and fear. This I Know helps us learn more about the God who has made Himself known in the printed pages of His Word. When we know and experience God, our unknown future doesn’t look so daunting. And that’s the kind of peace everyone craves.

I am praying for you as you walk through these pages. I don’t know what lies ahead for you, but I know the God who does know. And He goes before you in all of it and is with you every step of the way.

INTO THE UNKNOWN

AN INTRODUCTION TO THIS STUDY 

The year is 1985. Marty McFly discovers that his scientist friend, Doc Brown, built an epic machine for time travel from a customized DeLorean. In this car fueled by plutonium pilfered from terrorists, Marty, desperate to escape the bad guys, travels back to 1955. At first the adventure seems harmless, fun even, but his presence in 1955 changes the course of his and others’ lives. He alters his future by going back to the past. Can’t be all bad, right?

Sometimes I’d like the ability to hitch a ride in the time-hopping DeLorean so I could change some choices in the past to effect a better future. I’d also use that DeLorean to travel into the future so I could experience right now what is to come. I have a deep desire to know what’s coming. And what’s not. Perhaps if I knew, I’d have a greater sense of security, giving me the confidence I need to step into whatever blurry season is next.

On the other hand, I’m certain if I had seen ahead of time some of the trials I’ve lived through, I would have just plain quit. Given up altogether.

We all desire to be in control, don’t we? I know I do. I want to see what’s coming, but really only in an effort to somehow control events and to somehow avoid problems. To secure joy and good fortune as if I can create a life free from suffering for myself and those I love.

But the stark truth is that seeing the future isn’t possible. We know this reality, but it doesn’t keep us from trying, does it? We cannot control what will come. We cannot sidestep struggle. Sure, our choices can determine the trajectory of things at times, but there is no guarantee for any of it.

Our future is unknown.

Several months ago, I was praying through some big obstacles in my life, wondering what was coming. Change whirled around me at a rate I couldn’t control. It all seemed so insurmountable, looming in front of me. My anxiety reeled. I begged God to show me something. Anything. I wrote phrase after phrase in my journal listing all the things I just didn’t know as I pleaded for some answers.

Then I sensed the Holy Spirit whispering, "I know you don’t know what’s ahead. So, tell Me what you do know."

What do I know?

I thought about it for a moment and began to write, "Wherever we go, this I know …" A list of things I know—without a doubt—about our God poured over the pages of my journal. Things I had come to know by repeatedly experiencing them. Things proven true.

You love me. So much. You see me and know how You put me together for the road ahead and behind and right now. For the first time in my life, I know this and I am grateful.

You have a plan and the plan is good. I trust You, Jesus. I know this and I am grateful.

You are good. Always. I know this and I am grateful.

You are for me. You fight for me when I can’t fight for myself. I know this and I am grateful.

You never change. You are constant, unwavering, loyal, faithful. I know this and I am grateful.

You are redeeming and restoring everything. I know this and I am grateful.

You will lead me. I will hear Your voice telling me which way to go. I know this and I am grateful.¹

Corrie ten Boom once said, Never be afraid to trust your unknown future to a known God.

Our God made Himself known. He is found in the pages of Scripture. He reveals Himself in creation. He allows us to experience His essence through life in community. He shows up and shows Himself quite regularly if only we pay enough attention.

While He certainly isn’t explainable, He has made Himself known.

When we fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, instead of on our unknown future, worry dissipates. Anxiety melts. Hope solidifies. Faith grows. Life changes.

Of course, times of pain and fear and suffering still come, but what we do with it—in the midst of it—is different because we are different. Because our view of God is different. I don’t know where you are or what lies ahead for you. I don’t know what kind of scattered pieces you’re trying to put back together. I don’t know what form your worries and anxieties are taking these days. But this I know: God will never leave you or forsake you (Heb. 13:5). Ever.

USING THIS STUDY

We will walk through Bible passages beginning with Paul’s address to the men of Athens concerning the God who is known. We continue through truths of God’s nature of abundance and not of scarcity and Jesus as the cornerstone who holds all things together. As we journey through the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 and through passages like James 1, Habakkuk 3, and Psalm 46, we will recognize God’s goodness in trials that either have come or will come in the future. To wrap up, we will learn the power that remembering holds for us from the story of Joshua 3.

Each week begins with an introduction outlining a major truth about knowing God. It’s important to have this overview as a reference for everything else you’ll encounter, as it will serve as a backdrop for the daily time you will spend at the feet of Jesus.

Following the introduction are five daily lessons unpacking statements about who God is. These begin with some thoughts connecting them to the overview in the introduction. These devotional thoughts will guide you as you spend time at the feet of Jesus, asking Him to faithfully impart wisdom, gently unveil weaknesses, and boldly proclaim promises you need to know in His Word. He is ready to do that if only we will set aside the time and ask Him.

You will be dwelling in the Scriptures throughout this study. Some of the methods may be new to you and some you may be so familiar with that you are tempted to rush through them. Take your time. Savor the passages. Instead of just reading the Scripture, let the Scripture read you. Allow the Holy Spirit to do His work; let the truth He reveals sink in.

Some of the Scripture texts are printed for you in the study. Others you will be invited to read in your own Bible. In addition, you can also tap any underlined verse references throughout the book, which will pull up the passage as a pop-up (in ESV). You’ll be encouraged to mark words or phrases that matter to you in the moment. If you’re not comfortable writing in your Bible, use this study book or a journal. You can also print out the passages from biblegateway.com and mark those sheets.

Following the devotional thoughts and Scripture reading, you’ll see a suggested prayer for the day. These words are just starters for your own prayers. He longs to hear your words as well, so after reading the prayer for the day, pray your own prayer. Prayer is simply conversing with God. Be honest. Tell Him what you are thinking and feeling—even if it’s hard. Ask for what you desire and confess your need for Him to do His work in your life.

The last segment each day is a short journaling prompt to help you process what you’ve read and discovered. Journaling is a go-to discipline for me. Over the years, I have filled journals and am amazed by what God has shown me through writing to Him. On the pages of my journal I ask my deepest questions. I honestly hash out my feelings. And I wait for His response. It’s a beautiful dance and I’m hoping you’ll find a little bit of the dance joyful.

The prompts are similar each day, but the message and your insights will change. Your own questions will be different. Writing out your thoughts and feelings is a simple practice that will record your journey, allowing