“Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.” ~ John 13:8 

In the Upper Room, as the Passover meal ended, the Savior rose from the table, grabbed a towel and a basin of water, and knelt on the floor to wash the feet of His disciples. I imagine a very nervous silence may have filled the room as the embarrassed followers saw their leader wash their dirty feet. That was a job for a servant, not a master. It was a task that one of them should have seen to, but they were too busy debating who should be in charge when Jesus was gone from them. The silence was broken when Peter questioned the Lord’s actions with the query, they were all thinking. In essence, he asked, “Why are you washing my feet?” Jesus did not stop His work to explain. He simply told Peter, “Thou shalt know hereafter.”  

As we move forward in our spiritual journey, there will be many times when the Lord’s doings will mystify us. “Why has He allowed this trial into my life? Why is He not answering my prayer? Why is He leading me in this direction?” These and a host of other questions will fill our minds. Quite often we will find that the answer from God is, “Thou shalt know hereafter!” 

Although that is not the answer we are seeking, it is one that the Lord often gives to His children. You see, the entire Christian life is a journey of faith and trust. If we only trust and obey what we fully understand, we are not truly living by faith. Being able to trust in the wisdom, the goodness, the love, the power, and the purpose of God often means being willing to wait on the answer as we submit to His leadership and work in our lives! 

But remember, as we walk on in simple faith, we do so with the promise that even though we do not or cannot understand things right now, we will know hereafter! 

Pastor Bish