Will we scour the headlines hourly trying to ascertain whether or not to hide in a bunker, safe from a virus?
Will we be emotionally up or down depending on the current statistics?
Will we feel confident or will we feel afraid?
Is shaky faith invalid?
The good news is that wobbles in our faith don’t define us or put us to shame. I just turn to the father in Mark 9 who’s bereft over his son’s condition and incorporates his doubts right into his plea to Jesus – “I believe. Help my unbelief!” he said.
The hallmark of faith is believing in something without seeing it, assenting without totally understanding. Faith has never been about knowing everything, absolutely. That wouldn’t require any faith at all.
So I can take my bite-sized faith and apply it like a bandage wherever things are uncertain. I can apply it to the daily news, to my marriage, to the future of my children, to my career.
It is an active choice I make when everything in the world is telling me I’m supposed to be afraid. I choose faith, not because of what I see but because I believe in a good God I can’t see.
How do I find stability in times of uncertainty?
When I feel most unsure, I can take some steps to clear a path in my mind and heart so that I don’t get overwhelmed.
Commit to pray, every day, over the difficulties or stresses of my life.
When I verbally relinquish my sense of control and ask for help, it lifts the burden from my own shoulders.
Make a conscious choice to seek wisdom.
This might look like prayer, counsel from a wise friend or mentor, or scripture. It might also mean reading or watching less news when it’s causing stress.
Rest in the promises God has made.
He is always with me. He will see me through, no matter how uncertain my circumstances seem or how difficult they may become.
Spending time surrounded by God’s truth, instead of my own thoughts, worries, and anxieties, is vital to moving out of a place of fear and uncertainty and into a place of calm and, even certainty.
What am I certain about? Not whether or I not I will get a particular virus. No one can guarantee that. But I am certain that God will see me through, and I am certain that my hope for eternity lies in him alone. That’s where my peace comes from.
