Psalm 31:15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!
Of the many popular sayings that emerged in 2020, there is one saying that I disliked more than the rest: “We are living in uncertain times.” Advertisers seemed to like this phrase the most, especially if they could get us to try to find comfort in their products. We can certainly appreciate the sentiment of such a phrase, but as Christians we know that we are never living in uncertain times. That is because we know that all times, good times and hard times alike, are in God’s hands (see Ps. 31:15). Even as we live amid all the uncertainties of life, we know that God ordains all things, and He does so for our ultimate good and His ultimate glory. Thus, we cling to this precious promise: “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
Believing the truth about God’s sovereignty and providence, His omnipotence and righteousness, doesn’t mean that we will always understand precisely what God is showing us or how He is working to conform us to the image of His Son. But we can be certain of this: the Lord is always teaching us to trust Him more completely, to love Him more fervently, and to depend on Him more fully. When He does this, He deepens our confidence in Him and fortifies our convictions about Him, which leads us to possess greater certainty in a world filled with uncertainties, fears, and anxieties.
Therefore, we Christians are a bold and confident people with unchanging convictions and certainty about who we are, who God is, and what we believe. The unbelieving world, however, revels in uncertainty. The more uncertain someone is about God and His truth, the more sophisticated and cultured he is considered. This is one more reason for the world to hate us. The world hates the truth and hates all those who are certain of the truth. Thus, many unbelievers see our unwavering certainty and conclude that we are filled with pride and arrogance. Yet our certainty ought to lead us to be the most gracious and humble people in all the world, for it returns our gaze to the One who is sovereign over all. As we proclaim the gospel to the world, by God’s grace, may many come to share our certainty and our trust in the unchanging God on whom we can always depend.
Dr. Burk Parsons is editor of Tabletalk magazine and senior pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla. He is co-translator and coeditor of A Little Book on the Christian Life by John Calvin. He is on X at @BurkParsons.
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