Trusting God in uncertainty

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. John 16:33 NLT

One of my pastors shared a story in a recent sermon about a conversation he had with his young daughter. She was concerned about COVID-19, and she asked him whether or not he was scared of them getting it and dying. He said not really, and the response she gave is a beautiful example of trust: “Well, if you’re not worried about it, Daddy, then I’m not going to be worried about it.” He then related this in his message to how we need to trust our Heavenly Father, who is in control of all things and not worried about what’s going on right now.

Trust can be difficult at times. It’s not easy to rely on others to the point of risking failure. For the bills we pay manually, my wife is trusting me to take care of that. If I don’t, we face financial consequences. Every time you leave your children in the care of someone else, you are trusting that person with the well-being of your children. If they fail, your child may get hurt or worse. Trusting others is hard, especially since fallible people will inevitably let you down.

In some ways, trusting God should be easier than trusting people. God has never failed us, and He never will. But as I mentioned in my previous post, fear is the expectation of losing something we value, and the things we should be trusting God with and for are so much more valuable than those we entrust to other people. When you add to that the fact that we’ve never even seen God, sometimes we may not even know how to trust God or even what that really means.

Trusting God means confidently expecting Him to keep the promises He has made (Heb 13:5-6 NLT). Your confidence should be so great that you cannot even begin to imagine a world where God fails to keep one of His promises. I know this is a high bar. If you are struggling right now with this, Mark Altrogge has some good insights about why we can trust God’s promises. In this time of sickness, isolation and economic upheaval, here is one very applicable promise.

So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink?
What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers,
but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously,
and he will give you everything you need.
So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.
Today’s trouble is enough for today. Matthew 6:31-34 NLT

Here recently, in the span of just over two years, I was unemployed twice. In total, as the sole earthly provider for my family, I was out of work for nearly 7 months. Yet in all that time, I never once questioned whether or not God would take care of me and my family. I don’t say that to brag. I say it to tell you it is possible, by God’s grace and mercy, to live without fear in times of trouble.

Maybe you are facing circumstances right now that make you question where your next meal will come from or how you will pay your bills. In this time of uncertainty, dwell in the certainty of God’s promises. Search His Word, and mine it diligently to unearth the treasures within. Seek wisdom, understanding and peace through His Holy Spirit. Your Father in heaven will take care of you. He is Jehovah-jireh, the God who provides (Gen 22:14 NLT). Trust in Him. He has never given you reason not to, and He never will.

I count on one thing, the same God that never fails

Will not fail me now, You won't fail me now

In the waiting, the same God who's never late

Is working all things out, You're working all things out

Yes I will, lift You high in the lowest valley

Yes I will, bless Your name

Oh, yes I will, sing for joy when my heart is heavy

All my days, oh yes I will

-  "Yes I will", Vertical Worship