Skip to main content

New Article: When Life Feels Uncertain

 

               When the apostle Paul arrived in the city of Corinth, he felt defeated.  Despite his best efforts, nothing was working.  Instead of people responding to his preaching with faith, he had been ignored, mocked, thrown in jail, or run out of town everywhere he went.  His confidence was so low that he said he came to Corinth “in weakness and fear, and with much trembling” (1 Corinthians 2:3). Then he received a word of encouragement that changed everything.

               Jesus spoke to Paul in a vision and said, “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” (Acts 18:9-10).  That one message changed Paul’s outlook and it has some good reminders for us as well.

               The first thing to notice is that even when Paul felt lost and hopeless, God had a plan.  Paul did not know it at the time, but God had been working on the hearts of the people of Corinth and he could see the results that were coming.  We must remember that there is more going on than what we see and that we are not in charge.  It is not our job to make things happen, rather we are to join in on what God is already doing.  God is working out his plan even when we do not understand it yet (See Jeremiah 29:11).

               The second big reminder is that everything happens according to God’s timing, not ours.  It is difficult to keep doing the right things when you do not see any results, but that is what is necessary.  There were God-honouring people in the city, but Paul would find them when the time was right.  We may want everything right now, but maybe we are not ready for those blessings yet.  One of the themes of God’s word is that he acts when the time is right (See Romans 5:6). 

               Most of us like clarity.  We want to know what we are doing, where we are going and how things will turn out ahead of time.  However, we must learn to trust that God has a plan and that he will give us what we need when we need it.

               That is what faith is all about.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This: Press The Button!

  Consider This:  Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy.  I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart.  These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult.  However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success.  He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer.  Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act.  You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer.  If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it.  Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...
Post a Comment
Read more