Uncertainty. This was the reality of almost every day in 2020, and now just a few days into 2021, we are faced with more uncertainty. The chaos and confusion of this era of history seems unprecedented. However, I am quite certain that what is happening to us is really not a new phenomena. Today, we have non-stop news and social media updates to keep our uncertainty at a heightened level, but living in uncertain times is nothing new!

We all live with a bit of uncertainty just because we live on planet earth. Nature itself is unpredictable. Wind can bring a breeze on a hot day but can become lethal in a moment; rain brings growth and beauty but can become floodwaters devastating a community…While we all accept the reality of nature’s fickleness, how do we process the uncertainty of the direction of the country; the uncertainty of people’s actions; the uncertainty of a virus, economic instability, occupational unknowns…the list goes on and on. Uncertainty causes us to live on the edge of fear and often makes us paralyzed to move forward! But is there a way we can live with confidence in this world gone awry?

The answer is a resounding YES! As I mentioned at the beginning, uncertainty is not new to us in 2021. In fact, over and over again in scriptures we can read about circumstances and situations that the people of God found themselves in and learn how they faced uncertain times. Did they always make good choices, walk by faith, or listen to God? No, but we have the benefit of learning from their missteps, blunders and experiences and can use this to help us in our daily unknowns! This is why the BIBLE should be your go to reading material EVERY DAY. Don’t open up social media, news apps, or even the hard-copy of the newspaper before you open up the WORD OF GOD! The truths that lie within the scriptures are not messages for the people in the past, they are alive for us today, in 2021!

Not sure you believe me? Go with me to the book of Job. No one in all of scripture lived with more questions and uncertainty than Job. Job was a righteous man, but God allowed him to experience some of the most difficult trials that any man has ever gone through. Every day he woke up with uncertainty, unanswered questions and even despair, but he never lost hope in the middle of his pain. When you have time, you can do a deep study of his life but here are a few conclusions that Job came to understand as he searched for answers to his uncertainty:

“… I go forward, but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
⁹ When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him.
¹⁰ But He knows the way that I take;
When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. (Job 23:8-10)

Even when Job could not see God, he KNEW that God was working and that He had a plan.

For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth; (Job 19:25)

Job knows that God is his rescuer, that He will free him from his “captivity”. (redeem literally means to buy back as from slavery)

“I know that you can do all things;
    no purpose of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2)

Job knows that God is capable of taking care of everything in his life, and that whatever His purpose is will come to pass! Mortal man can simply not affect what God has designed.

Do you notice how many times Job says the word “know”. This is the synonym of certainty. So, there are some things that Job “knows” without a doubt and we can put these into truth take-aways for our life!

• God is working even when we don’t see him. (23:9)
• God is our redeemer, the one who brings us out of slavery and rescues us from the power of sin and death (19:25)
• God can do EVERYTHING and none of HIS purposes can be stopped. 42:2

But one of the most powerful phrases said by Job is in 42:3:

³ You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
    Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
    things too wonderful for me to know.

This is Job’s admission that there are some things that are too “wonderful” (beyond human understanding) for him to know, some things are in the mind of God, the creator of the universe and when we try to “figure out” God’s reasons for allowing things to happen, we need to admit as Job did that some things are not for us to understand! So, Job is certain of many things but also accepts that there are some things he will not understand, but he is ok with that, and we should be too!!

We can live with certainty in uncertain times because we have a SAVIOR who is working behind the scenes, to carry out his perfect will and we can be sure that His ways are more “wonderful” than we can imagine!

So pick up your Bible today and build your life on the truths about God! I am certain you will be glad you did!