Hope During Uncertain Times

In the game called “Complete the Sentence,” one person starts by saying a word or two, then the next person has three seconds to add to the sentence. It ends up sounding kind of like a Madlibs®. The point is you don’t know the direction of the sentence by how it starts out.

In life, it is that same way. How you start out isn’t always how it ends. In fact, we can read in Ecclesiastes 9:11-12, “The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all. Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come: as fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so people are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.”

From one perspective, the “unknowns” can actually add excitement to our life. Surprises lend to the anticipation of what might be coming, which is similar to hope and faith. Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” While those unexpected surprises are kind of nice, those same unknowns can be the source of all kinds of worry and anxiety.

In our current national climate, there are many people wondering, worrying about what will happen next. But as Christians, this is our opportunity to shine—or rather shine our light on God’s power. Matthew 5:16 reminds us to, “...let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Or as Peter says in 1 Peter 2:12, “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”

There are many Scriptures that point us to the way we are to live during difficulties. The early church often faced struggles and persecutions for a long time. Therefore, many of the epistles dedicated quite a bit of encouragement to stay faithful:
▶ Romans 12:12, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
▶ Hebrews 10:23, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.”
▶ Hebrews 3:13-14, “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called 'Today,' so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.”

Jesus’ example and all Scriptures are useful to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, and train us so that we can act righteously in the face of any struggle and that we’ll be ready to do good for those around us.
It’s probably easy to reflect on the “good ol’ days” during times of uncertainty and worry, but consider the words in Ecclesiastes 7:10, “Do not say, 'Why were the old days better than these?' For it is not wise to ask such questions.” Powerful words to prepare our minds for Godly action—not just reaction! Ecclesiastes 7:8, “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.”