Living Certainly in Uncertain Times

We live in uncertain times. Uncertainty gives rise to doubt. 

When I consider those two statements, I often reflect on the disciples who lived in the uncertain time immediately, after the resurrection. 

Luke 24 tells us:

9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others… 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.  

Then John 20 records Thomas’ more direct doubts:

25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” 

Doubts are not born of disbelief, but rather, they are born of uncertainty. Because that is how doubts surface. When relationships become uncertain we’re not sure if we can trust people. When life is uncertain, we start to doubt any and all information that we can’t verify. Uncertainty comes first. When uncertainty bears fruit, it bears the fruit of doubt.

So, what puts our doubts to rest – particularly any doubts about whether God is sovereign on the throne? The answer – when we look back at those resurrection stories – is only one thing: the presence of Jesus as Lord and Savior in our lives.

The change in the hearts of the disciples happens as a result of one action: Jesus makes himself known. He appears to them. He states who he is and shows them the evidence of who he is. Their doubts are washed away by the overwhelming and certain presence of Jesus. 

So, how about us today? As we live into uncertain times, let’s be certain that Jesus is Lord and Savior. Let’s be certain that the Holy Spirit lives within us. Let’s be certain that God is sovereign. How do we do that? Clearly, the NT teaches us about living into a relationship with God through the Holy Spirit. But, the OT isn’t quiet on this either. In the OT, God made promises – promises he is still keeping. For example, after the flood, God gives this promise to Noah and to all the generations that follow:

Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”

So, if you’re uncertain today about God; about relationships that are changing; about whatever. Take a walk. Look at the harvest. Look at the seasons. Look at day and night. God is on the throne. Look at his reality in your life. Take the steps of faith God is calling you to take – not with doubt born of uncertainty – but with courage born of the certainty that God is present in your life and is moving among us.