It is not uncommon to experience life with stability, in the home, job, finances, family, nation, health, and other areas. The stable moments call for peace, contentment, and security within the individual. People easily project plans for the future and look forward to the realization or maturity of their dreams.
Unfortunately, experiences have proved unexpected, shattered hopes, and dreams among numerous people; with their world turned upside down and these people, government, or nation feel devastated, unable to bring it all together; resulting in distress. Examples of these experiences range from natural disasters, to loss of a loved one, unprecedented national experiences, financial downgrading, or sickness.
What do we do at such moments, when grief and uncertainty overturn our lives? Are we able to sustain such suffering of the period without a breakdown in our health, peace, and joy? Where then do we go, or what do we do?
Nations engage agencies responsible for national disasters, and make adequate plans to cover emergency situations. They also expose the agencies and institutions to classes on emergency preparedness, to be ready for the unforeseen. Likewise, records in the Bible and history narrate the story about some nations and peoples called by the name of God, who experienced threats, faced the lions, fire, famine, the devil, and the deep sea. God showed up and rescued them from the disasters they encountered.
The Lord never promised the Christian life to be a bed of roses; or born again with a silver spoon. However, heaven has provided some sure security to help the Christian in whatever disaster they face anytime, through the backing of the living savior who is as stated, ”God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they (Hebrews 1:1-4). Through the standing of the Savior, ”God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-6). ”Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
As the redeemed of the Lord, we are children of the king, our place is in the heavenly places with Christ, on the right hand of the majesty on high. This is the secret place we discussed on the previous post” Confidence in Intimacy” &” Psalm 91.” When we walk with the Lord, though we are here on earth, but our place is with Christ on the right hand of the throne of God, the secret place. Paul said, he is persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39). We have security in our position with the Lord. We believers often deprive ourselves from our inheritance as children who are born of God when we wander from the Savior. The following are things that can make us walk away from our God-ordained certainty in Him:
Persistent Sin or any unconfessed sin. Ignorance of the Word of God. Going off the path of the Word. Lack of Faith Neglect of fellowship with fellow Christians.
David was certain of the security he enjoys in the Lord through trusting Him, and said in Psalm 23,
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord, Forever.
Peter saw Jesus walking on the waters, while he was on the boat with other disciples. He asked Jesus if he could come to Him on the waters. Jesus welcomed Peter’s request, and Peter walked on the waters, but when he saw the wind blowing, he was afraid and started to sink, he cried out to Jesus to rescue him, He did, and said,” O you of little faith, why did you doubt? (Matthew 14:29-32).
Goliath cursed David’s God, because David boldly volunteered to fight with Him, to win the ongoing battle between the Philistines and Israelites. Goliath, a giant, disrespected David because he was a young boy with a small stature, and he boasted He will give David’s body to the birds to eat up. David, because of His confidence in God, boasted in the God he was intimate with, and never doubted. David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a weapon. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.” David succeeded in killing the Goliath, and won the victory. (Read the whole story in 1 Samuel 17).
David was confident in the God he serves, while the older men in the army of Israel were intimidated by the site of Goliath, Isaiah said,” You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (26:3). The Lord also wants us to give Him all our cares, anxieties, and uncertainties to handle. He asks us to call upon Him in time of trouble, for He is a sure and certain help in time of storms. He never said it will be easy, but promised He will never leave us, nor forsake us; and said, He will do great and mighty things on our behalf.
An intimate walk with the Almighty through regular reading and obedience of the Word, praying in the Holy Spirit, and constant fellowship with other believers; help us to understand the God we serve, our benefits in Him, and grow our faith and confidence in Him.
Use the link below to connect to YouTube for the song “From every stormy wind that blows” (Our Certainty in times of Uncertainty).