The following is part of an ongoing crowdsourced sermon I’ve been developing using my own life experiences and the feedback of others on Facebook and twitter. It’s all about what to do when we have no answers. The introduction can be found here.
It is entirely possible that you may not get all the answers in life you are seeking. You may never actually know why things have gone the way they have, good or bad.
When you face the unknown without answers, stay close to what you do know.
If you’re like me, you realize it is easy to give advice from the sidelines to the people actually playing the game. If you’re struggling right now with life’s unknowns, it may difficult to even focus on what it is you DO know. So let me share what I know, as it could help you today.
One of the things I know is that God is real, He is present, and He is involved in our lives and the world around us. Sometimes it seems as if He isn’t, but He is. Some perspective: you may feel like God isn’t involved when the wheels start rolling off your present circumstances. But many times these circumstances, as difficult as they may seem, are not exactly the apocalyptic end of the world as we know it that they may seem. Keep in mind, most of you reading this were born into an affluent “Western” society with things like running water, hot meals, HD TV’s, jobs, central heating, and weekends off. You’re using the internet to read this, which means your government hasn’t shut down access, and bombs haven’t knocked out the electrical grid. Things aren’t THAT bad, are they? When you face the unknown without answers, stay close to what you do know. I know God is here and involved, one way or another.
Another thing I know is this: I’m not just focused on the fact that “God is here” but also that Jesus has done His work in my life and is continuing to do so. He didn’t just wander around the desert 2,000 years ago giving advice and handing out free health care. He didn’t just get in the face of the religious establishment, make them look bad by exposing their hypocrisy and lack of compassion, and eat meals in upper rooms. He didn’t just get sentenced to death in a private meeting by insecure people desperate for power. In fact, He didn’t just die and then independently return from the grave for the sake of being an example. Yes, He did all of those things but more: He beat sin, beat death, and has committed to a redo of the whole human experience.
Knowing those things doesn’t GIVE me hope, those things ARE my hope. My hope isn’t in the stuff I have, the job I do, or the stage I’m on. My hope is in the power of God working in my heart to make me more like Jesus now while I head towards the future He gave me.
It is entirely possible that you may not get all the answers in life you are seeking. You may never actually know why things have gone the way they have, good or bad.
When you face the unknown without answers, stay close to what you do know.
Cling to what you know: I know Jesus.
Thanks Pastor Daniel, this will be a wonderful message.
I agree with you. I know that Christ is the always present comfort, healer, the source of hope. Sometimes when troubles overwhelm, I find myself “working” to straighten it out, relying too heavily on what I need to do and do and do… Pray harder, more often, even telling God how to make the situation better! vs. being quiet and listening, or handing the problem over in faith that God is God, regardless of the outcome He is ever present with care for me that is beyond my imagination, or plans. There are situations where my “work” is absolutely useless. For me, my hot spot is my kids, when they are hurting or sick. Thankfully, God will usually tap on my heart with a “leave this to Me” and thankfully He is patient with me because this is a lesson I should have learned a long, long, time ago. I don’t need to sit back and do nothing either, just recognize that there is care I can provide and there is care that is God’s work. That’s when hope takes hold for me, it’s a joyful hope that comes from faith not circumstance. That’s what I know.
Thanks Maureen. Our families are always at the center of our hearts aren’t they? I appreciate the honesty and vulnerability here.