When I Feel Uncertain I Turn To God

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As we count down to Easter, we are continuing our series on Turning Our Hearts to God. In this season, we want to fully bring our whole hearts to God – emotions and all – and let His peace rule in our hearts! If you missed the previous posts on turning to God when we feel offended or afraid, you can find them on our blog. And be sure to join the conversation with us over on Facebook or Instagram throughout the week. This week, we’re looking at what to do when we are faced with the uncertainties of life.

Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans

Proverbs 16:3

Have you ever been uncertain about how things were going to play out? If so, you are in good company!

Even the apostles when they were with Jesus didn’t know for sure how things would play out. There was a time when the apostles were expecting Jesus to be King on earth, but what happened instead changed history.

The apostles were expecting Jesus to fulfill what Jeremiah had written about:

The day will come, says the LORD, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them. In those days and at that time, I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this will be its name: ‘The LORD Is Our Righteousness.’ For this is what the LORD says: David will have a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel forever.

Jeremiah 33:14-15 NLT

This is what they had been taught. The apostles had been taught that a king was coming from the line of David who would be a king. They thought he was going to rule in Jerusalem. They had heard this their whole lives. And now here they were with Jesus, the Messiah, which Peter proclaims in Mark 8:29 (NLT):

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah.”

The apostles traveled with Jesus and spent every day with him, learning from him, and witnessing his miracles. But even with this front row seat to the life of Jesus, they still didn’t quite grasp what Jesus was really on earth to do.

Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.

Mark 9:30-32 NLT

Even with the benefit of 3 years traveling in person with Jesus, the apostles were still uncertain about the future. They knew Jesus was the Messiah that they had been waiting for, but his teaching that he would be killed and rise three days later wasn’t what they expected. His proclamation that He would die for all of us and our sins wasn’t a part of what they had been taught.

And then it became more than a teaching; the apostles lived through the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of their trusted Lord. They experienced days of bewilderment, confusion, and uncertainty until on that first Easter Sunday the tomb was discovered to be empty; Jesus had risen from the grave! Jesus was the suffering servant who gave His life, and he was also the conquering king who defeated sin and death.

Uncertainties in life are bound to come our way, but in those moments we can hold on to Jesus because we know he is always working. We hold on to the hope that even though we don’t always understand his ways, he is good and he is working to triumph over sin. The living savior who rose from the grave is never done with our story!

I had a huge uncertainty in my life recently. A very scary thing happened to me and my family, and I was uncertain about how things would turn out.

In January, my family and I all came down with COVID. My two daughters barely had runny noses, but my husband and I got really sick. While I was able to recover at home, my husband had to go to the hospital for 7 days. During that same time, I kept hearing about people at our church dying. For those 7 days, I lived in the uncertainty that I didn’t know if my husband would ever come home from the hospital. Thankfully, the Lord answered my prayers and my husband came home to a long road of recovery.

During those 7 days of uncertainty, I had to hold on to my sure belief that Jesus is my King. I reminded myself daily that he cares for me, he hears my prayers, and he died on the cross for all of us. I am so grateful that Jesus heard me and answered my prayer for my husband.

Moments of uncertainty hold up a mirror to our faith, and allow us to see the parts of our heart that do not fully trust God. The disciples knew that Jesus was the Messiah, but they did not trust his plan of how to establish the kingdom of God here on earth. I trust that Jesus is good, but I still experienced uncertainty when my husband was in the hospital. These moments of uncertainty become invitations to come before God and learn to trust him even more fully with every part of our hearts.

As we approach Easter, we are reminded of God’s definitive victory over sin and death. There is no uncertainty in the empty tomb; Jesus really is Savior and Lord. Death could not hold him and neither can fear and uncertainty hold you ransom. Your victory over sin and death is assured in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. On this solid foundation you can build your life. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. He answers our prayers, and he loved us enough to die for us. He is our King.

***As we continue our conversations about turning our hearts to God, we realize we are covering some real and difficult emotions. If you would like to talk to someone, we are here for you, and we would love to connect you to resources in our church to help you find the support you need. Need to talk or looking for some support?