How do you handle uncertainty? I know for me, I like to be in control. I like to know exactly what is happening and how a situation is going to end. None of us like being in a place where we don’t know what is coming next. This past week, I had a time of uncertainty that left me at times asking myself questions and filled with anxiety about what was happening.
When we face times of uncertainty, how should we respond? How do we make it through those times when we just don’t know what to do, or worse, there is nothing we can do. Often these types of situations lead us to feeling like God is small and distant. The reality is that it is our focus on ourselves and our situation that only makes God seem small. When we focus on God during times of uncertainty, we can hold on to these three powerful truths to help us through them.
First, God knows. God knows exactly what is happening in your life. There is not a second that goes by without Him being aware of what is taking place. You and I aren’t alone. God knows and God is there with us providing us with comfort during the darkest day. This is the reality that lead David to write this in the Psalms as he was oppressed by the Philistines “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” You and I can have the same level of trust that David had knowing that God knows and God is in control, and that God will ultimately guide us through whatever situation we face.
Second, God cares. Our society likes the phrase “we care” without actually ever really following through on it. Instead we often use it as a cheap marketing tool. However, God really does care for you and I, and not in a superficial way. God cares very deeply about our lives and the situations we face, and He desires to be the solution for us in those moments. God wants us to cast our cares to Him as Peter exhorts us to do. He wants to bear the weight of our fears and uncertainties! However, we must be humble and recognize our need to rely on Him. God wants us to pray and pour out our requests to Him in thankfulness for the work He has and will do in our lives just as Paul instructs us in Phil 4. The reality is that God’s care for us is the perfect soil for His peace to grow in. When we rely on His care for us, we enjoy peace that is not limited by our earthly situations.
Third, God works. Sometimes, when we think of God working, we envision Him as our henchman following the plan that we created for Him to do. This is not how God works. When God works in our lives, He is taking every situation, every uncertainty, every loss, every pain, and creating an opportunity for good to come forth. It may be for our spiritual growth. It may be to deepen our faith in Him. It may even be a Gospel opportunity. God’s working may not be removing the situation that you are in, but rather providing an opportunity for you to trust Him and for Him to be glorified.
I spent roughly 6 days in the hospital last week, and to be honest, there where many times, I wished I was anywhere else in the world. But then, I began to see the good that God was creating in the midst of a pretty crumby situation (by our earthly paradigm). I saw doctors and nurse impacted by the faith and joy of the many visitors we had. I saw God open the door to conversations about Christ and church with people largely due to the testimony of many of you. What an amazing thing to happen during an undesirable stay at a hospital, and all because of God. When we remember and focus on the fact that God knows, cares, and works, we can truly have certainty in the face of uncertainty.
- Pastor Derek