Tomorrow Never Comes

The other day, I visited a good friend of mine, a wise and godly man who is 91 years old and confined to his bed. I visit him weekly, offering whatever encouragement I can, but it’s always me who walks away feeling blessed.

During our time together, I reminded him that today is a unique gift from God, saying, “Today is the only day like it that has ever existed in time and eternity. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is uncertain. Today is all we have—it’s a gift.”

My friend smiled knowingly and said, “You know, tomorrow never comes.” Then, with a twinkle in his eye, he asked, “Did I ever tell you about the bar in New York?”

He told me about a bar in New York with a sign on the wall that read, Free Beer Tomorrow—where one guy kept coming back every day for his free beer, and the bartender would always say, “Nope, read the sign.”

As I chuckled at the old joke, my friend smiled and repeated, “Tomorrow never comes.”

And that isn’t a joke—it’s the truth.

We are often deceived by the illusion of a tomorrow that never comes. We tell ourselves there will be time later to get things right. Tomorrow we’ll make the change. Tomorrow we’ll turn toward God. But tomorrow never arrives.

We make plans and put things off, thinking, I’ll do it tomorrow. Then we look back months—or even years—later and realize all we have are empty yesterdays.

Scripture pleads with us: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Not tomorrow—today. When we hear God’s voice—whether it’s a gentle nudge to forgive, a prompting to step into something new, or a call to repentance—and we delay, saying, “not yet,” we begin to close off the tenderness and trust that a yes to God requires. Over time, that repeated “not yet” quietly becomes a hardened no.

God’s invitation to today isn’t for when life settles down or when we feel more ready—it’s for now. God is speaking in this moment, calling us to surrender, to reconcile, to create, and to live fully in him.

Lean into Jesus. Act now—because tomorrow never comes.

Jesus, help me hear your voice today and respond with trust instead of delay. Amen.

Throughout the Day: Notice moments when you’re tempted to say “later” to God. Pause, breathe, and offer this simple prayer: “Yes, Lord—today.”

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