Since March of 2020, how many times have you read or heard that we are living in uncertain times? If you’re like me, you’ve seen those words, and many others like them, coming at you from every direction. From news outlets, social media, churches, and the public, the “unprecedented times” onslaught has steadily continued. One news article I read was titled, “In these uncertain times, the only certainty we have is a lack of it.”
To be frank, I disagree. Now don’t get me wrong… I'm human. I worry about the future and my mind is susceptible to fear and stress just like everyone else. However, I think the “uncertain times” narrative is in stark contrast to the promises in Scripture. A few weeks ago at a Community Worship Night in Johnson City, TN, I based my message on the idea that these are not uncertain times but certain times, and there is no need to be afraid. Here is the link to that message! I pray it strengthens your faith and hope in Christ.
Yes, while the situations around us may FEEL uncertain, it is important for us to call our minds back to the foundational promises in scripture. Below are 7 Certainties you can place your faith in and use as a guide through difficult times.
1. The Certainty that there is nothing new under the sun - Ecclesiastes 1:9-10
Wars, famine, plagues, pandemics, death, riots, government risings, and government collapse -- you name it, the earth has already seen it before. More importantly, God and His church have survived all of it.
Solomon sums it up perfectly in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 by saying, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.”
We are not living in uncertain times because there is nothing new under the sun according to scripture. Just because we have never personally experienced something does not mean we have to be afraid or controlled by it.
2. The Certainty of God’s Word - 1 Peter 1:23-25, Matthew 7:24-27
The Word of God is timeless. Nations, governments, relationships, people, jobs, opportunities, wealth, hardships, experiences, ideas, dreams, and trends will all come and go but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
1 Peter 1:23-25 says, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you.”
God’s Word is a well-spring of certainty, hope, strength, and peace because it is the doorway to His heart through Jesus Christ.
3. The Certainty of God’s Love - Romans 8:38-39, John 3:16
No matter what happens, we cannot be separated from the powerful and loving arms of our Heavenly Father. Once you are in the family of Christ, you are always a part of the family of Christ because God's love is certain. He has GOOD plans in store for His children like any good father would have.
Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Rest assured, if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation you will live with Him in paradise for all of eternity. Nothing this life can throw at us will ever separate us from our eternal destiny with Jesus Christ. There is no need to fear.
4. The Certainty of our Suffering - 1 Peter 4:12, James 1, Romans 5:3-5
1 Peter 4:12 tells us to not be surprised when we encounter various trials, temptations, and hardships as if something strange were happening to us. Suffering is in the DNA of the Christ-follower. If Jesus Christ suffered along with all of His disciples and millions of Christians throughout history, don’t you think we will suffer? God masterfully uses the natural suffering we face in this broken life for our benefit.
Romans 5:3-5 puts it beautifully, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Suffering is certain. So when we suffer we don’t need to complain, we need to entrust our lives to a faithful and loving Savior who works all things together for the good of those who love Him.
5. The Certainty of our Calling - Luke 10:27, Matthew 28:16-20, Colossians 3:23, 1 John 1, Galatians 6:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 1 Corinthians 15:58
We were created for good works in Christ, Jesus. The issue isn’t knowing what to do, the issue is having enough faith to actually DO what God has already called us to do in scripture. The mandate Jesus gave the Church does not hinge upon what happens or what doesn’t happen in our nation, or in the world. We don’t have to desperately search or try to figure out what God wants us to do because He has already told us what to do in His living and active Word. Faith is the solution to our uncertainty.
If we follow Jesus Christ, our calling is to pick up our cross daily, be in continual communion with God through the Holy Spirit, make disciples, love one another selflessly, be good stewards of His blessings, and work heartily for Him. The work God gave His followers will continue despite the fickle nature of this world, and we have the beautiful opportunity to partner with God in His work.
Remember Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” He wants us to do His work, boldly, even in times that the world calls “uncertain.”
6. The Certainty of our Need - Jeremiah 17:9
How many days could we go without eating food or drinking water? Just as our physical bodies need food and water every day, our souls need the Spiritual bread of God’s Word and the satisfying water of the Holy Spirit. When we engage with scripture and engage with God through prayer, we feed our souls.
Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?"
Our default setting is to sin. What’s living in my chest is evil. The flesh and Spirit wage war with one another, and I am dependent on the grace and love of Jesus to not give in to the desires of my heart. I am in need of the authority of the local church, Biblical community, and positive accountability. I must surround myself with people who love me enough to tell me the truth because I am an expert at justifying my pride, gossip, lust, and disobedience.
The world is suffering because the heart of man, at its core without Christ, is desperately sick. Our need is certain, however, the Body of Christ has the ability and the power to satisfy those needs.
7. The Certainty of Christ’s Return - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 19:11-16
According to scripture, Jesus is coming back! The man who came to earth as a baby, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, rose victoriously from the grave, and ascended into heaven will return to make all things right and claim His Church. What a glorious hope!!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
If Christ is going to return and make all things right, we can live intentionally with a divine purpose focused on loving God and loving others even in the midst of chaos. We were created to be the salt and light in a dark world knowing our Savior is coming back.
Again, I’m susceptible to fear, anxiety, and doubt along with every other human. By no means have I mastered what I just wrote about. But the next time we hear the words “uncertain times”, I think we need to cross-check them with the promises God so clearly states in scripture and be conscious of the beliefs motivating our actions. The solution to uncertainty boils down to faith... not fear.
These times are certain because God is certain.
This article was written by Thomas W. Cook and edited by the Adoration Writing Team. Thomas is the founder and Director of Adoration Life. He grew up in Morristown, TN, played baseball at Walter State Community College, and graduated with two associate degrees before moving to Johnson City, TN in 2013. He then graduated from East Tennessee State University in December of 2015 before launching Adoration Life with some of his college friends in 2016. He now works full time for Adoration Life and works part time for Grace Fellowship Church as a worship leader. He is happily married to his beautiful wife, Nancy Cook.