In this message, we explore the theme of “Trusting God in Uncertainty.” Life often throws unexpected challenges our way, leaving us feeling unsure and anxious. Discover practical steps and biblical insights to deepen your faith and find peace amidst the chaos. Learn how to trust in God’s plan and overcome fear by strengthening your spiritual foundation. Join us on this journey to spiritual growth and reassurance.
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Notes on Trust in Uncertainty
Trust in times of Uncertainty
We live in a world that has yet to be redeemed, surrounded by people who at best are being redeemed and at worst and doing everything they can not to be redeemed, in bodies that yearn to be redeemed.
All that is to say, like Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble…” but he goes on and says “but take heart I have overcome the world.”
“Life will shake us, trust steadies us.”
If I could impart to brand-new baby Christians only three things they would be:
- To Hear God
- To Obey God
- To Trust God when you can’t hear him and obeying him doesn’t make sense.
Because we’re all going to be there time and time again. We are 1 text, 1 email, 1 phone call away from everything changing, our world upending, our future being uncertain.
You might be there right now. Your hope will be tested in your relationships, in your health and in what you receive for what you do. Those three things make up who you are. Your identity will be tested. The enemy wants to kill, steal and destroy you. The Father wants to take what the enemy does and make you more like Jesus.
Will you trust Him in that process?
When life shakes us, trust steadies us.
Story of Daniel
Give background of story. Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem (2 Kings 24:10-16) and took Daniel and his friends as hostages. They didn’t eat meat sacrificed to idols and still out performed all the others and God gave them unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. Daniel was given the ability to interpret dreams and visions (Daniel 1:17) The Babylonian empire was taken over by the Persian empire and Daniel rose in the ranks. That gets us to chapter six where Daniel faced time of uncertainty.
Darius (daw-reh-yaw-vaysh’) the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province. The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests. Daniel soon proved himself more capable than all the other administrators and high officers. Because of Daniel’s great ability, the king made plans to place him over the entire empire. Then the other administrators and high officers began searching for some fault in the way Daniel was handling government affairs, but they couldn’t find anything to criticize or condemn. He was faithful, always responsible, and completely trustworthy. So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.” So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” So King Darius signed the law. But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. Then the officials went together to Daniel’s house and found him praying and asking for God’s help. So they went straight to the king and reminded him about his law. “Did you not sign a law that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions?” “Yes,” the king replied, “that decision stands; it is an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” Then they told the king, “That man Daniel, one of the captives from Judah, is ignoring you and your law. He still prays to his God three times a day.” Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament. In the evening the men went together to the king and said, “Your Majesty, you know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, no law that the king signs can be changed.” So at last the king gave orders for Daniel to be arrested and thrown into the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you serve so faithfully, rescue you.” A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. The king sealed the stone with his own royal seal and the seals of his nobles, so that no one could rescue Daniel. Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night. Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den. When he got there, he called out in anguish, “Daniel, servant of the living God! Was your God, whom you serve so faithfully, able to rescue you from the lions?” Daniel answered, “Long live the king! My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight. And I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.” The king was overjoyed and ordered that Daniel be lifted from the den. Not a scratch was found on him, for he had trusted in his God. Then the king gave orders to arrest the men who had maliciously accused Daniel. He had them thrown into the lions’ den, along with their wives and children. The lions leaped on them and tore them apart before they even hit the floor of the den. Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world: “Peace and prosperity to you! “I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. For he is the living God, and he will endure forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed, and his rule will never end. He rescues and saves his people; he performs miraculous signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.” So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Daniel did everything right and ended up in a lion’s den. But he trusted in his God and miracles happened. He is a wonderful example of:
When life shakes us, trust steadies us.
Can I pray?
My Day Job
My day job I work with companies who care about their employees mental wellness. Our service is unique. Instead of simply getting a phone number to call or app to use when someone is needing help to self-regulate in the moment, these companies go a step further and and bring our care team support system onto their worksite to make regular visit so that – over time – their employees have someone they already trust to talk to when they need to.
I connect teams with companies. So I need to look for people who are trustable, capable and caring to join our teams. And that means I’ve had to think about what trust looks like and how to build it between people. I’ve become convinced that the way we build trust between people is very similar to how we build trust between ourselves and God.
Let me explain…
Trust grows through
- Consistency over time
- Compassion in tragedy
- Companionship in teamwork
- Convergence of testimony
- Chancing the truth
Today I want to focus on Convergence of Testimony – basically how a multiplicity of stories helps us to trust not only each other, but also God. We don’t name and claim one verse with God and try to convince ourselves of the truth. Instead it’s an ever-developing, often more-complicating dance of trust that happens throughout our lives.
Convergence of Testimony
When I’m taking to potential Care Team members I let them know the progression we see on worksites. If they are going to be the first ones on the site, it’s probably not going to be going to be easy. Hopefully the employees are polite and a little communicative. But consistency over time will always lead to deeper trust. Just being there, showing up, remembering names and continuing stories…and over time, people will risk trusting you with their problems.
The first ones who come to you with bigger problems will probably start with “HR told me to come talk to you.” HR love us when they learn to trust us. One more than one occasion I’ve had an HR tell me “Trevor you take care of the person, I’ll take care of the paperwork.” So the first people who come to us will usually say, “HR told me to come”.
Then when you’ve been there a little longer and helped a few more people, someone will come to you and say “My supervisor told me to come talk to you.” That’s great because it’s not an easy thing to have a supervisor trust you with their people. They need to see you in action. But when you help enough of their people, and maybe even help them – in time- they’ll trust you their team members.
Then in little more time, as HR is sending you people and supervisors are sending you people you’ll have someone come to you and say “My friend told me to come talk to you.”
That’s a convergence of testimony. This person’s friend trusts you enough to tell their friend to go to you for help.
When that happens, when you come on site, people will see you and their shoulders go back and a smile comes to their face. They sit up at their desk. They might smile and wave. It’s not that they all have something terrible to share with you that day. It’s that this convergence of testimony tells them that they are cared for and tells you that you’re trusted.
I have seen that when we have a convergence of testimony on the goodness of God, trust looks the same in us. We have peace, we have hope, we have joy.
So what is Trust?
1. Noun: Confidence: A firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Reliance: The state of relying on someone or something. Trustworthiness: The quality of being reliable or deserving of trust.
2. Verb: To place confidence in someone or something; to rely on the integrity, strength, or ability of a person or thing.
What is Biblical Trust?
- Faith and Assurance Hebrews 11:1
- Relationship with God Proverbs 3:5-6
- Obedience to God John 14:15
- Peace in Difficult Times Philippians 4:6-7
- Confidence in God’s Faithfulness Lamentations 3:22-23
When life shakes us, trust steadies us.
What does trust look like?
When we trust God we surrender control (Proverbs 3:5-6), have faith in his promises (Romans 4:20-21) and find peace in our uncertainty (Philippians 4:6-7) We seek out His guidance (Psalm 25:4-5) and endure through life’s challenges (Isaiah 40:3). We exchange our problems for His peace (1 Peter 5:7) and rejoice in His goodness (Psalm 37:3-4)
How do we know if we don’t trust Him?
The first clues we’ll notice are lacking are peace, joy and hope. If you don’t have peace, joy and hope, you’re not trusting God somewhere for something.
Romans 15:13 (NIV): “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.” — Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)
When we trust in God we have peace, joy and hope.
Imagine
Do you want to have peace and hope and joy at all times and in every situation?
Do you want to have no fear of bad news when it comes?
Do you want to exchange your problems for His peace?
You need to decide to trust him when difficulties come. Or better yet, trust him now if you don’t have difficulties. It’s never too early to start and never too late to trust God more.
When’s the best time to trust the Lord?
Well, when’s the best to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. When’s the next best time to plant a tree? Today.
When’s the best time to trust the Lord? Every day of your life. When’s the next best time to trust the Lord? You can start or restart today.
Listen,
You know you’re going to need it.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
You know others will see it.
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
You know you’re going to use it.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
When life shakes us, trust steadies us.
We need to know how to trust God. It matters.
So how can a convergence of testimony help you trust in the Lord at all times?
That’s a great question, I’m so glad you asked.
I’m going encourage you to:
Look down
Look up
Look around
Look back
Look ahead
Now when you do this, you need to make two decisions. These two decisions need to continually be made or else the practice I give you will lead to so many other places but not to trust and not to peace and hope and joy.
Are we clear? You will be.
Convergence of Testimony Tool
MY STORY
Decisions:
M – Meditate with Gratitude 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Y – Yield to His Control 1 Peter 3:15
Practice:
S – Soak in Scripture Psalm 77:11-12
T – Take time to be in His presence 1 Peter 5:7
O – Observe God’s work in others Hebrews 10:23-24
R – Rehearse what He’s done in your life 1 Corinthians 15:10
Y – Yearn for greater revelation Ephesians 3:17-19
The two decisions you need to make are – Gratitude and Lordship. Let’s remember this with the MY part of the MY STORY
M – Meditate with Gratitude
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
When we choose gratitude we look to what He is doing, not to what’s left undone. We need to do this with our whole heart, otherwise it can become toxic gratitude. You know what that is, saying you’re grateful without feeling it or showing appreciation.
This week I’m starting a 70 Day Gratitude Challenge where everyday I want to choose to be grateful, feel gratitude and show appreciation. We’re told in scripture to give thanks with our whole heart (Psalms 138:1) and that’s what it means. We make the decision, we feel the emotion and we act on that decision and emotion. I’m going to be doing live casts, podcasts and blog posts each day from September 19 through Canadian Thanksgiving to November 28 (American Thanksgiving).
If you wan to join the 70 Day Gratitude Challenge you can find out more at https://revtrev.link/thanks
Gratitude is so important to guard the actions I’m going to be encouraging you to do. To:
Look down
Look up
Look around
Look back
Look ahead
Because Gratitude grasps grace. We awaken to the grace of God and can extend His grace to others.
Am I giving thanks in all circumstances?
The second decision we need to continually make is lordship. The Y in MY reminds us to yield to His control.
Y – Yield to His Control
1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.
Surrender and Lordship is not something we talk about much anymore. I think I assume we all know what it means. I know it’s not true. I just know I assume it.
For me lordship means He’s in the driver seat of my life. I need to go when He says “Go” and stop when He says “Stop” and wait when he says “Wait” because it’s in Him I can live and move and have my being.
And yet it’s so easy for me not to live that way in the day-to-day of everyday.
The good news is He gives us Holy Spirit to teach us all things. And He has this way of pointing things out for me that I grow clueless to on my own. Yes, sometimes it’s in the voice of my wife.
Don’t turn off your compassion. Compassion conquers comparison. Jesus was led by His compassion and you need to be led by the compassion He gives you. Since He is Lord, you follow Him.
Follow those gentle nudges and loud shouts of Holy Spirit. We need to abide in Christ and let his words abide in us. That’s what Lordship means. When he is Lord of my life, I can pray and ask anything in his name (John 14:13-17) and speak the very words of God (1 Peter 4:11)
When we agree that He is King and that’s a good thing, we are led by His compassion and compassion conquers comparison.
So we can:
Look down
Look up
Look around
Look back
Look ahead
With His grace and a heart of compassion.
In my heart have I set apart Christ as Lord?
So with grace and compassion we do these actions.
Look down
S – Soak in Scripture
Psalm 77:11-12 I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
Scripture is the revealed word of God. It’s written by 40 people over 1500 years across 3 continents, in 3 languages and it’s all about trusting God. It’s his love letter to us and it reveals the love of God which is why he is trustable.
If you want to have convergence of testimony so you can trust God in times of uncertainty, it starts with being in the word. Let the word of God dwell in you richly.
Am I letting the Word of God dwell in me richly?
Look up
T – Take time to be in His presence
1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
When we are alone in His presence He can rewrite the story of our life. Where we saw lack, he can show us protection. When we saw pain, he can show us healing. Where we saw rejection, he can show us acceptance. We need his opinion of us, because that’s the only opinion that matters.
We have an enemy that comes to steal, kill and destroy. We need to be aware of our Good Father’s presence and hear his voice speak the words of life to us.
Whenever we go to Him in prayer we need to exchange your problems for His peace. When we’ve leave his presence without his peace, all we’ve done is complained.
When we hear what God says about us, it adds to the convergence of testimony that we need to trust Him at all times and in every situation.
Do I exchange my problems for His peace?
Look around
O – Observe God’s work in others
Hebrews 10:23-24 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
The saints overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony. Revelation 12:11 When we tell each other the good things that God has done in our life, we invite Him to do it again. We need each other’s story. Your story becomes part of my story. Your good news connects with my good news and we have a convergence of testimony.
What has God done for others? Where can you see him working all things together for good in their lives?
If he did it for them, he’ll do it for you. If he did it for you, he’ll do it for you.
Observing the good God does for others adds to the convergence of testimony that helps us trust Him in uncertainty.
Do I rejoice with other’s testimony?
Look back
R – Rehearse what He’s done in your life
1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.
What has God done in your life? Can’t think of anything? Ask Holy Spirit to remind you.
Because you have been through the fire and have not been burned. You have been through the water and did not drown. You’ve been through deep waters and have not been overcome. You have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. You can be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord because He has been good to you.
Read your journals. If you don’t have journals, ask Holy Spirit what He’d like to remind you of…then write it down someplace your remember to read it sometime. Your story is important to your future and even unborn generations.
Remembering what God has brought you through adds to the convergence of testimony we need to trust him when we might otherwise be concerned about his trustworthiness.
What is so amazing about grace in my life?
Look ahead
Y – Yearn for greater revelation
Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV) And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
One of the hardest times I have containing myself—it’s usually when someone is risking to share something with me and I need to contain myself and let them talk—it’s when someone says “I’ve studied the Bible and it does nothing for me.” I want to scream “You’re 16 years old! How have you studied the Bible? It’s still reading me!”
In the history of evangelicalism, we’ve done a great disservice to emphasize praying a prayer to make Jesus our Lord. First off, Jesus is Lord. We acknowledge that and start to live like he’s Lord. And that’s confession and repentance that leads to salvation. Secondly, we’ve inoculated people against the transformative power of the gospel by saying, “You want to not go to hell, say Jesus is Lord.”
We can know the love of God that surpasses knowledge.
Just consider that nonsensical statement…and be in awe.
Having a heart to know God (Jeremiah 24:7) adds to the convergence of testimony that allows us to have no fear of bad news even when it comes.
Probably, if I could teach brand new baby Christians 3 things it would be to always have a heart to Know God, Obey God and Trust God. Figuring those three out in your life, you’ll change your everyday world.
Do I have a heart to know God?
You and I need a continual revelation of the love of God, so that we can trust Him.
Bring it together
We need his grace and compassion as we
Look down
Look up
Look around
Look back
Look ahead…
…testimonies converge from the book, time in His presence, our own experience, the story of others and greater revelation of His love… MY STORY will build your trust in God, so that …
When life shakes you, trust will steady you.
MY STORY
M – Meditate with Gratitude
Am I giving thanks in all circumstances?
Y – Yield to His Control
In my heart have I set apart Christ as Lord?
Look down
S – Soak in Scripture
Am I letting the Word of God dwell in me richly?
Look up
T – Take time to be in His presence
Do I exchange my problems for His peace?
Look around
O – Observe God’s work in others
Do I rejoice with other’s testimony?
Look back
R – Rehearse what He’s done in your life
What is so amazing about grace in my life?
Look ahead
Y – Yearn for greater revelation
Do I have a heart to know God?
Prayer
Conclusion –
Wait on God – Time of reflection
Ask…
Am I giving thanks in all circumstances?
In my heart have I set apart You as Lord?
Am I letting Your Word dwell in me richly?
Do I exchange my problems for Your peace?
Do I rejoice with other’s testimony?
What is so amazing about Your grace in my life?
Do I have a heart to know You?
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