1 John 3:2
Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is.
Have you ever faced uncertainty? Maybe you’ve lost a job and faced the uncertainty of getting a new job. Maybe you’re engaged and are uncertain about the fruitfulness of your future marriage, whether in bearing children or in your love for one another. Maybe you’re having your first child—or another child—and are facing the uncertainty of your child’s health and development in and outside the womb. Maybe you’ve lost your home due to financial struggles or a natural disaster and you face the uncertainty of acquiring a new home.
Whatever our experience, we are all familiar with uncertainty. I myself have faced uncertainty when transitioning from my pre-seminary studies at my alma mater to my seminary studies at Concordia Seminary as I endeavour to become a Lutheran pastor. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, I trust God and He provides. My fiancé and I are facing the uncertainty of her getting deported because of the waiting period for her work visa renewal. Uncertainty is filled with anxiety and fear.
We face uncertainty all the time, but the uncertainty of the Christian is not like the uncertainty of the world. In the world, there is nothing to grant us peace in our uncertainty. Sure, we might turn to things like drugs, sex, food, politics, or whatever else we use to self-medicate, but they never last and we always need more of it, feeling emptier each time. They always leave us dissatisfied and disappointed.
Yet with God, we have gracious uncertainty. That is, though we may live this life with several uncertainties, we can always be certain of who God is. To be certain of God is to be certain of all our ways. We do not know what a day will bring, but we are certain God is with us and provides our daily bread. We might be uncertain of ourselves and the decisions we make, but we are always certain of who God is. Though we live with some uncertainties, God is always gracious toward us.
Most of all, we live uncertain of when Jesus will return. Yet in the midst of this uncertainty, we remain certain of who God is—a God who always fulfills His promises.
The Lutheran Column 