Managing Seasons of Uncertainty

“God will take care of you”

“Just have faith”

“It will all work out in the end”

“Don’t be anxious, trust God’s plan for you”

If you have been in the faith for a decent amount of time, you have probably heard statements similar to these more times than you can count. We often say these phrases when someone is going through a trial or season of uncertainty. They are used as an encouragement that God will sustain us in our trials. But trusting God is often easier said than done—especially when life is hard.

So as Christians, how do we actually trust God when we don’t know what the future holds. Now I don’t have this mastered by any means, but I have experienced seasons of not knowing what my life will look like the very next day. Through those hard seasons, the Lord has taught me how to trust and lean on him more and more each day. How do we not lose hope when we feel lost and confused in life?

There are several ways, but here are a few that have been the most helpful to me personally: 

1. Look to Scripture 

   
   

When we are unsure of our path in life, it can be easy to get in our heads. The enemy will plant thoughts in our head that make us doubt the Lord’s providence. Our flesh naturally does not desire the Lord, so we must seek him through his Word. Scripture reminds us of the Lord's faithfulness to us, and gives us hope in His promise during trials. 

One of my favorite passages in scripture is Lamentations 3. The poet in Lamentations describes his immense suffering. His suffering was so great that he writes, “my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is” in verse 17. How often do you forget what happiness is in the midst of sorrow? Much of Lamentations uses dark language like this. However, in 3:21-24 we are given hope. 

"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

In suffering, we must call to mind the hope we have in the Lord in His steadfast love and faithfulness to us. But Scripture doesn’t just ground us—it also calls us to lift our eyes beyond our immediate pain.

2. Look Up

   
   

When life brings trials, it is tempting to focus our eyes on the problems before us. However scripture encourages us to lift our eyes to our Savior. 

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” -Psalm 121:1-2

The Lord says he will give us help in our time of need. When we look up to him, we make the choice to look beyond our temporal pain, and fix our gaze on God’s promises to us. God is still worthy of our worship in hard seasons. We praise him that he remains faithful when we are faithless. 

3. Look Back

   
   

I’ve learned that one of the best ways to remind myself of God’s faithfulness is to look back at times he has been faithful in the past. This could mean reading Scripture about God keeping His promises to His people, or reflecting on your own personal experiences of His faithfulness. Another way is to reflect on your own personal experience of the Lord’s faithfulness. A good way to reflect in this way is by journaling, or even looking back at times you have journaled. 

God's faithfulness is saturated throughout scripture. One of my favorite sections of scripture is the story of Moses and the Israelites. Not only does it display the power of God through the miracles performed such as the parting of the Red Sea. But additionally, it reveals how God keeps his promises. 

4. Look Forward

   
   

In order to have hope, we must know what we are hoping for. We need to look forward to the promises God has made to us. Since we know God’s character of keeping His promises in the past, we can be hopeful that he will continue. Scripture reminds us of the promises God has made and will keep. Romans 8:18 says,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

While life and the trials we face can weigh heavy on us, God has promised us that this is not our home. When we finally see our Savior face-to-face, the pain we experienced on earth will seem small in comparison. 

Seasons of trial or uncertainty can be dark and hard to navigate. Here are some simple questions to ask yourself when trials arise to keep your eyes focused on Christ:

• What does God’s Word say about his character and promises?

• How has God been faithful to me in the past?

• Is my focus on my circumstances or my Savior who will sustain me?

  
  

These simple questions help us to walk in the joy of the Lord even when our circumstances make it more difficult. The story of  Peter walking on water found in Matthew 14:22-33 is a perfect example of what it looks like to keep our eyes on Jesus vs off of Him. When Peter was looking at Jesus he was able to walk on the sea. However, when he began to look around at the chaos surrounding him he immediately began to sink. When chaos surrounds us we must fix our eyes on Jesus who holds us fast. Even when life is uncertain, God never is.