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Uncertainty. We live in a world of uncertainty. Uncertain economic times. Uncertain social conditions. What we have today may very well be the things we do not have tomorrow. We are no strangers to uncertainty; neither are we immune to it regardless how hard we try. Some of the greatest man and woman of God in the Bible have been through alternating levels of uncertainty, often as though life was moving toward the worst directions possible.
When Joseph was at the bottom of the cistern listening to his very own brothers, who have conspired against him, decide whether they would kill or sell him to slavery. When David faced the possible threat of his own son, Absalom killing him in his attempt to take over the kingdom. When Pharaoh ordered the killing of all male children born by the Israelite and a Hebrew woman would rather take the chance of what the dangerous river could offer as she placed the precious Moses in a basket. The question then and now remain the same. Where is God? Is He going to show up? Is He in control?
God was there. He was with Joseph, David and Moses then. The same God is here today. And He's still got the whole world in His hands.
As I finished a 3-parts series, He's Still* Got the Whole World in His Hands by Andy Stanley last night, I was challenged to ask myself this question -- Can I trust God when there is no evidence of His activity in my life? I know my answer would determine my response to uncertainty.
When we travel through a dark season of uncertainty, we need to remind ourselves that God still has the whole world in His hands. Some of the brightest moments in our lives are the result of brokenness and when we trust that God is working through our circumstances, there is a sense of purpose and peace that emerged. Knowing that God is active in times of uncertainty allows us to maintain hope and faith even when the world is in despair. We have peace knowing that God has not and will not forsake us, and He is still in control.
It is good to know that God is active in uncertain times but meanwhile what do we do?
The Bible is a record of God's faithfulness in uncertain times; a record of God's faithfulness even to the faithless as Andy puts it in the series. God knows that we will be overwhelmed by fears and insecurities that come together with uncertainty and He has a plan. His plan is to replace our anxieties with peace.
Philippians 4:4-7
Paul had been through circumstances that were beyond any of our imaginations. He was stoned (as in rocks-thrown-at-you), whipped, accused, persecuted, alienated, shipwrecked (not just once!), put under house arrest and eventually executed... Paul's circumstances were crucial to the credibility of the passage. Surely this man knew of uncertain times more than anyone of us would ever get to know!
v.4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Rejoice (in the Lord) always. How often and easy it is for me to replace (in the Lord) with (in the relationship), (in the 7), (in the perfect day at work), (in the new job), (in my finances), (in my recognitions by others), (in my achievements).... and the list goes on. We have to learn to rejoice in the Lord even when our circumstances and emotions tell us otherwise. In uncertain times, we should rejoice in God's faithfulness in our lives and let our emotions catch up.
v.5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
In the midst of this passage on uncertainty, Paul exhorted us to 'let our gentleness be evident to all' because our characters are reflection of God's work in us.
v.6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Uncertainty brings our deepest fears and insecurities that have been buried inside our hearts to the surface. Paul's use of the word "present" in verse six means "to reveal". Uncertainty reveals our hidden insecurities. We are to reveal to God the deepest desires within our hearts. My prayers are no longer just, 'God, I need you to help me secure the placement' but 'God I need you to help me secure the placement because if you don't, I'm afraid that I will feel like I'm not good enough, I'm afraid of what others would think of me, I'm afraid I will fall short again, I'm afraid of feeling like it is so near yet so far.'
God knows what we want to pray for before we even open our mouths to ask. Uncertainty forces us to pray at the levels of insecurity and fear. As we reveal to God our deepest desires, sometimes God would reveal to us some of the insecurities we never thought we had.
v.7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
In the midst of our uncertainty, God offers us peace. A peace that replaces all our fears, insecurities and anxieties. A peace that is beyond all human comprehension; a peace that stand watch over our hearts and minds. We need to embrace the reality of our dependence upon Him. We need to go to Him in prayers with our deepest needs, hopes and fears.
We need to remain hopeful in uncertain times. We need to remain hopeful in a hopelessly broken world. In the last part of the series, Andy defined hope as a person or thing in which our expectations are centered. Hope. It only works when the object of our hope is certain, when it is constant, when it will not fail. When Jesus was sent to die for our sins, God has shown us that His love is truly without fail. So even when this world remains broken and we are confronted by the uncertainty of this life, we can confidently hope if we put our hope onto God's unfailing love.
Psalm 33:22
May your unfailing love be with us, LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
I just want to share this lengthy entry on some of my thoughts from my personal journal with you. If you are going through some uncertain times, don't lose faith! xx
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litteredmind's journal
thankful
sleepy
hungry
tired
thoughtful
loved
lethargic