Uncertain is a pretty good word to describe the year 2020. I live in the United States and uncertainty looms large right now, a few days after our elections. The question that hangs in the air for me, is how have, can, and will each of us handle uncertainty? As always, we have choices.
My mother left me the pillow in this week’s photo. “Life is uncertain eat dessert first.” That is a fun option when life is uncertain. Often, however, our options are more limited than that, though I love the sentiment.
There is room for a lot of discussion with the reality of life being uncertain. Like everyone this year, I have had many opportunities to think about my options, then choose from them. I suspect that if we had to simplify it down to two choices, they would be fear or faith. Maybe a third is expressed by the pillow: folly. Let’s leave that for another day.
Who and what I allow in my ears and eyes during the most uncertain times plays a big role in how I make my choices. Yes, information is important. Too much information can become overwhelming and lead to fear.
Fear can be insidious. It can be helpful to protect us from danger. I believe that is God’s purpose for it. Fear of falling and of fire are usually quite rational. But with too much information, especially if it is strongly biased or presents in a way to produce confusion, we can lose our balance in the cacophony of input. At this point fear can go beyond being a helpful warning. So how do we avoid that, or get ourselves out of it?
To strengthen my ability to choose faith over fear, I keep coming back to the nature of our Creator, and the reliability of the promises in the Word of God.
Jeremiah 32:27 NLT ““I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”
Psalm 111:4 NLT “He causes us to remember his wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!”
John 14:26 NLT “But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”
Psalm 24:8 NLT “Who is the King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, invincible in battle.”
Ephesians 1:13b NLT “And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.” 3:20 “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”
Proverbs 18:10 NLT “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.”
Proverbs 8: 14-17 NLT “Common sense and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine. Because of me, kings reign, and rulers make just decrees. Rulers lead with my help, and nobles make righteous judgments. “I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me.”
Isaiah 44:8 NLT “Do not tremble; do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim my purposes for you long ago? You are my witnesses—is there any other God? No! There is no other Rock—not one!”
Psalm 75: 6-7 NLT “For no one on earth—from east or west, or even from the wilderness— should raise a defiant fist. It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall.”
Isaiah 55: 6-9 NLT “Seek the Lord while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the Lord that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously.
“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
The Word of God, and the God of the Word, are certain. My prayer is that the truth of the Word and the character our God will keep us in balance and alignment with God’s purposes for us. Fear can not come when we are aligned with His certain love and truth.
