THE GRACIOUSNESS OF UNCERTAINTY


Lately, with so much bad news coming our way regarding the economy, unemployment, the housing industry, our state budget, unrest around the world, etc. etc. I have been trying more than ever to do what Jesus admonished us in Matthew 6:34: “Do not worry about tomorrow.” Or as we say in Swedish: “En dåg i sender!” One day at a time...

This is hard to do. Our natural human impulse is to be afraid of any uncertainties (forgetting that there never IS any certainty in life anyways!) and to resist what is unsure. Most of us desire security, predictability, and stability in life and have a strong aversion to shifts, changes, and “the unknown.” Even for us who claim to know and follow Christ, it is very difficult for us to take our Savior at His word when he says “Don’t be afraid!” Or “Don’t doubt!” Or “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in me!” It is easy to spiritualize these demands of Jesus, but to actually practice them? Ooo! Now that’s a different story. And of course we must be practical about things in life, musn't we. Save up, insure our well-being, prepare for the worst. After all, “The Lord helps those who help themselves,” right? (Oops! That’s not in the Bible; in fact, Scripture teaches that God actually helps the helpless! Ex. Isaiah 25:4; Romans 5:6.)

So what are we to do? How can we overcome what seems to be our natural human inclination to resist uncertainty? To let go of apprehension and fear, especially about the future? As is so often the case, the wisdom and insight of Oswald Chambers--from a century ago--provides a helpful approach to this very basic, emotional, universal situation. It is from his April 29 entry in “My Utmost For His Highest.”
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"It has not yet been revealed what we shall be." 1 John 3:2

Our naturally inclination is to be so precise and calculating--trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next--that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots. Our common sense says, "Well, what if I were in that circumstance?" We cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance we have never been in.

Certainty is the mark of the common-sense life. Gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation! We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task that He has placed closest to us, He packs our life with surprises all the time. When we become advocates of a particular belief or creed, something within us dies.

That is not believing in God--it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, "Unless you become as little children..." (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we are rightly related to God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.

Jesus said, "Believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, "Believe certain things about Me." Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in--but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.
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So what do you think? Easier said than done? A nice ideal, but certainly not realistic? Totally illogical?

Or is it a perspective that leaves you with “breathless expectation?” A discipline to be accepted--and practiced? An insight that frees you from the bondage you may have been in for too many years (anxiety, fear, nervousness, uncertainty), and that you feel you can finally embrace?

Are you eager to have your life packed with surprises all the time? I am!

I also appreciate Oswald’s words about belief. He ties these in with our relentless need and pursuit of certainty. When our lives become all about sureness, it affects every aspect of our lives, including our spiritual life. Instead of trusting in God and being open and childlike in our attitude to life and faith, we try to bring everything under our control. We even try to make everything--including spiritual realities--fit into what our rational capacities can organize and understand. This fills us with a kind of relief. But too often this also fills us, as Oswald says, with a sense of self-righteousness. We become defensive, reactive, harsh, impatient and critical of those who believe differently. I confess that I have been this way at various times in my life.

And I love how Oswald parses the difference between belief in God and belief in creeds (doctrine; dogma). Have you ever considered that there might be a difference? There is! When your really think about it, our beliefs are never complete. As we, hopefully, grow in life and faith, we gain new perspective, fresh insights, and different understandings which affect our beliefs, NOT God! We realize that we all have cultural lenses through which we view faith. We realize we have much to learn from others who have different views about faith. This is more true, and more unavoidable, than ever as our world shrinks smaller and smaller, as global perspectives impact our everyday lives, and as our own communities become more diverse and multiethnic. Again, some will see all of this as bad, as very upsetting, because it is creating uncertainty! Some will resist these realities and push back, reacting to the differences, and trying every way possible to stop these ever-increasing and unavoidable changes from occurring. In the end, it really is pointless. It is also unnecessary! Because God is still God, despite what our beliefs say about Him.

Now, please don’t think that what I’m saying and advocating here is that everything is relative; that what we believe is unimportant, or that there are many ways to God. With Oswald, I affirm that “We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next.” Convictions are important, and necessary. What we believe always is expressed in our attitudes and in our actions. Jesus was known as one who taught and spoke “with authority,” and this aspect of his character is certainly related to true realities and understandings.

What Oswald is indicating, I think, and what I want to affirm too, is that we need to come at our beliefs and strongly held ideas and convictions with a certain graciousness; a generosity of spirit; a willingness to listen and reflect on what others are affirming. We need to always keep in mind that God is way bigger, more mysterious, and surpasses what our finite human mind can comprehend. Supernatural realities are, by their very nature and definition, beyond rational, logistical comprehension. I think we frequently forget this, in our frenzied pursuit of certainty in life, and we end up compensating for our uncertainty by pressing too forcefully and insensitively our own grasp of things related to our faith and spiritual life.

This puts people off. This puts people down. This creates the appearance of us having authority and power over others. Which, of course, is the total opposite of the humility that Jesus demands of his followers.

Persuasion is always more effective than force, in every area of life--including religion. And the truth and reality of our beliefs and convictions will be grasped best by others through the ways we live them out; how we “enflesh” (incarnate) them in our everyday existence. It is more authentic for people to be drawn to faith, rather than to be argued or emotionally manipulated into the Kingdom of God. And isn’t a life “full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy” more enticing than one that is full of formal, dull predictability and routine?

Oswald makes it clear that we are called to have a relationship with Jesus, not with ideas and beliefs about Jesus. Again, do you catch the difference here? How might that look in your life? As you reflect on your walk with the Lord, can you see times in your life when perhaps your walk of faith has been one way or the other? I am convinced that when we concentrate on Jesus himself, then our need for certainty in life will diminish and fade. As we trust him more, we can allow the Holy Spirit to orchestrate things and do the work of drawing people to God, not think that it’s up to us to save people. As we grow closer/deeper/in love with the Savior himself, then our fears, our insecurities, our anxieties, and our need for control will evaporate.


This is the place I am finding myself these days in my relationship with Jesus, and I can testify to the reality of the results. Ten years ago, I would have ulcers right now, worrying about all the turmoil surrounding us these days! Today, I truly have no fear, no anxiety, no concerns about what the future might bring my way. Somehow, somewhere inside of me, there is a certain strength and solid ground that refuses to let these fear-based emotions take root and get a grip on me. To me, it is supernatural! Not logical, or rational, or calculable--it is totally from God; beyond my comprehension, and even beyond my control. It is hard to fully articulate--but it is true, and real. All I can do is say “Thank you, Jesus!” and, as I am doing here in this blog, testify to this wonderful perspective that has come into my life at this time.

Let’s talk about it. The comment line is now open......