Steadfast, Immovable, Abounding

Uncertainty—we all deal with it, despite good advice, strategic plans, and dedication to the tasks before us. No matter how sure we think we are about what the future holds, our world can flip on a dime as life throws us a curveball that leaves us reeling. This is especially true for young adults. Every day, we face decisions that shape our lives for the next week, the next month, the next year, and the next ten years. Between the years of 18 and 28, we witness some of the biggest and most foreign changes we will ever experience. Life seems to pick up speed at an alarming rate, and we enter the next phase of life before we’ve gotten fairly used to the one we’re in.

And yet, despite this fast-paced life, we still can’t escape the seasons of waiting. We probably all have questions in our life right now, from “where am I going to go to college?” to “where am I going to retire?”. We let questions like these stress us because we think we have to be the one to figure out the answers. But the truth is, just because we don’t know the answer to the problem yet doesn’t mean an answer doesn’t exist. Isaiah 43:9-10 says, “‘Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’” God knows the answer to every problem you’re worrying about.

But in some ways, that can make us hurt even more. God knows the answers; He knows what we need—so why won’t He tell us and break our suspense? As C. S. Lewis writes in Mere Christianity, “I am sure that God keeps no one waiting unless he sees that it is good for him to wait.” God’s timing isn’t always our timing (mainly because human nature wants to get everything yesterday). It’s hard to sit humbly and patiently in the presence of a seemingly absent God.

In Mark 4, Jesus and His disciples are aboard a boat on the Sea of Galilee. A horrible storm arises, and the disciples are incredibly frightened. Verse 38 says, “Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Do You not care…well there’s problem #1. If we ever begin to think Jesus does not care, we have allowed our trials to blind us to the goodness of God. But the disciples are not the only ones to ask this question. In Luke 10:40-42, we read, “But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, ‘Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me.’ But the Lord answered and said to her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.’”

We might shake our head at the disciple’s fear and Martha’s impatience, but are we really any better?

“Do You not care that I can’t pay my bills?”

“Do You not care that my week has been nothing but stress?”

“Do You not care that my loved one is sick?”

“Do You not care about my broken relationships?”

“Do You not care that people are living in poverty and abuse?”

“Do You not care that Your church is hated and persecuted throughout the world?

 “Do You not care?”

Yes, He cares.

The problem is, even when we learn to trust God’s perfect timing and wait for His promises to be fulfilled, that doesn’t always mean things will work out the way we think they should. But having confidence in God’s provision doesn’t just mean we wait for Him to deliver our wish list; it means we wait for Him to send the things that will grow us and shape us into who He has called us to be. We must trust that His plans are always for the best. Hindsight is always 20/20—it’s incredible to look back on our lives and see the perfection of God’s will, despite the struggle of the moment.

In Genesis, we read the story of Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his own brothers and sent to Egypt. From there he is thrown in prison for a crime he didn’t commit; yet God eventually restores him to his place and gives him innumerable blessings. In chapter 50, Joseph forgives his brothers, saying: “‘Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive’” (verses 19-20). Joseph’s attitude is both convicting and compelling. Like him, we must let God be God, believing that He will make a way through the desert and the sea, the mountain and the valley. Psalm 33:11 says, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” Doubtless, something in your life is unknown right now. Simply remember: what is uncertain to you has already been overcome by God.