A few years ago, we began looking for a new house.  We looked at many possibilities but found ourselves in a predicament.  It’s called Yazoo Clay.

In central Mississippi, much of our land is full of Yazoo Clay.  Yazoo Clay expands and shrinks, and the ground moves (sometimes in sever ways).

Back to house hunting…  We looked at many houses that sit on Yazoo Clay, and it was obvious.  Sometimes the doorways were no longer rectangles.  Sometimes you could put a marble on the floor and watch it roll quickly to the other side of the room.  Sometimes you could see major cracks around the foundation.  The ground shifted, and the houses suffered from it.

Life can feel like shifting ground too.  Things happen that you never expected, and the future can become completely unknown.

For us, this reality means that we sometimes can have a hard time trusting God.  So…

How can Christians grow in trust when life is uncertain?

Let’s take a look at what we need to realize, so we can hold onto our faith when life is uncertain…

1. Realize that uncertainty is not new

Whenever I felt like the floor got knocked out from underneath me, all of my thoughts centered on my situation.  It felt like no one else experienced what I did.  It felt like no one could understand what I was facing.  I didn’t think about others who faced what I was facing.

But most people HAVE faced uncertainty.  The Bible is full of people who learned to trust in spite of uncertainty – like Abraham.  Hebrews 11 tells us that he was willing to leave everything and everyone that he knew to trust God and move without knowing where he was going.  Exodus 16 tells us that the Israelites trusted God and left Egypt even though they had to trust God to feed them a day at a time.

Uncertainty is not a sign that God is punishing you.  It is often the situation where God builds deep faith in us.

Uncertainty is not new.  And we must…

2. Realize that trust is based on God’s character, not your circumstances

Circumstances change.  You have seen it happen just as I have.  However, if we base our faith on circumstances, our faith will not be strong.

God does not change.  Numbers 23:19 reminds us that God does not lie.  Lamentations 3:22-23 reminds us that God’s mercies are new every day and that His faithfulness is great.  The Psalms are full of statements about God’s trustworthiness and goodness while the authors were facing harsh circumstances.

You may not know what tomorrow holds, but you can trust God because He holds tomorrow (and you).

Trusting God is not pretending to know what lies ahead.  Trusting God is understanding that God loves you and will take care of you.

Trust is based on God’s character, not your circumstances.  And we must…

3. Realize that trust is built through the small things

Trust is like a muscle.  You don’t develop it when you face a big trial.  You develop it when you trust Him with ALL that you face.  Proverbs 3 reminds us that we need to trust God with our heart and not trust in our ability to understand.  It says to trust Him in all of our ways.  Trust in Him in the small and big things.

Trust is built through the small things.  And we must…

4. Realize that we must look at the good that could come, not the bad that might come

Many people are frozen by the fear of the bad things that could happen in their lives.  Their minds focus on the worst things that they can imagine happening without realizing that God loves them – period.

I love how Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stated their faith when they were faced with being burned to death.  Daniel 3:17-18 tells us that they told the king, “If the God we serve exists, then he can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he can rescue us from the power of you, the king.  But even if he does not rescue us, we… will not serve your gods…”

God may not answer exactly as you would like Him to answer.  And that’s OK.  We can trust in His goodness no matter what we face.

We must look at the good that could come, not the bad that might come.

Where and whom do you trust?  Uncertainty will show you.  Either you trust in your plans, money, and health, or you trust in God.  If you choose to trust God, you will discover that God truly is enough.

Check out Jerry Bridges’ book to go deeper into this issue of trust. Click the picture below…