5 Truths to Remember in Uncertain Times

A new guy moved into the marina this week, laid off after working fifteen years in the oil patch. Like everyone else on the planet, he has no idea what his future holds, but it looks bleak.

The uncertainty drags on. We’re all wondering when things will settle down and return to normal. No—let me rephrase that.  Life will never return to normal as we knew it. So, what will our new normal look like? Your guess is as good as mine.

An acquaintance works for a ministry with dozens of volunteers who answer phone calls from people requesting prayer. She told me that they’re taking 1500 calls a day from men and women distraught due to the pandemic. Worry and fear have gripped them, and they’re searching for reassurance and hope. They just want to know that everything’s going to be okay.

Medical experts, government leaders, and media—none of these can guarantee the outcome or offer hope in concrete terms. They give us the latest findings, statistics, probable outcomes, and best guesses, but these change day by day.

Everything shifts and sifts through our fingers like sand. Nothing is certain anymore. Nothing, that is, but God’s promises.

Here’s a gem for you today:

You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book.
My enemies will retreat when I call to you for help.
    This I know: God is on my side!
I praise God for what he has promised;
    yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised.
I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?
    What can mere mortals do to me?
Psalm 56:8-11 (NLT)

This Psalm instills hope when we recognize several important truths it contains:

When the stress of uncertainty starts to get to you, go back to these five truths. Write them on a recipe card and post them where you’ll see them often. Hide them in your heart, speak them aloud, and ask God to give you deeper insights into each one.