For I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

Written by Olivia - Serving in Northern Ireland

In May 2023, I had the opportunity to travel to Northern Ireland on a study trip with the college I attend. One place we visited was Saul Church, the historical sight of the first place St. Patrick worshiped when he landed in Northern Ireland. The present building was erected in 1933 to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the landing of St. Patrick. This little building may not seem like much, but it is deeply rich in the presence of God. Inside, there is a guest book that holds the names of those who have visited. During our time there, a group of us thought it would be fun to sign this book as a nice memory of our time here. I remember thinking how amazing it was that this had been a sight of worship for centuries before us and that there are still people to this day gathering together to worship our God. We left soon after that and I didn’t really think much about it. 

Until Tuesday. 

Every Tuesday, we have our staff meeting. It was decided that we should travel around the area to have our meetings so that I can see different places while I am here. For the first one, we traveled to Saul Church. I vaguely remembered visiting the church previously, but I didn’t think much of it. When we arrived, I took in the beauty of the trees that line the path leading to the church and reminisced about my last time there. God’s presence is so strong there, you feel it almost immediately. 

As soon as I reached the door to go in, I suddenly remembered the guest book. Eager to see if the book was still there, I quickly went in and searched to locate my name. To my surprise and delight, I was able to find where I had written my name in this guest book over a year ago. Immediately, I was flooded with emotions (and tears) of surprise, awe, joy, and gratitude. When I had written my name down in a guest book in Saul Church on May 26, 2023, never in a million years did I think I would ever be back to see it. 

But God knew. 

After I excitedly shared this with the rest of my team, we continued on with our meeting by going into a time of prayer. During that time, all I could think about was how amazing God truly is. Even when I had no idea what my life was going to look like a year later, God knew. He knew that I would be back in Saul Church on June 11, 2024, with a brilliant group of people who genuinely love Him and advocate for others to know Him, too. He knew exactly where I was going to be because He has a plan for my life. And He has a plan for yours too. As I am still watching and waiting for my plan to unfold, I am encouraged by my God, who sees me and who knows what tomorrow holds.