How to Walk in Faith When Life Feels Uncertain

     “Quit your job.”  I kept hearing a voice in my head saying those words.  I have to say it rattled me.  What do you mean?  How do I quit my job when I have bills?  How do I quit when I have such good insurance?  My family needs my job. In my mind, I concluded that this meant to look for another job. So I started looking for another job. We were planning to move, so maybe this made sense. Perhaps this was the confirmation I needed to look for the job in the new city where we planned to move. So I looked for a job for months, thinking that I would have a new job before we moved. When the time came for us to move, we had purchased a new home. We now had two mortgages and all of the bills that came with the new house. God sent us renters, but I still didn’t have a new job. We moved in June. I continued to look for work. I had the education, the work history, and great references and I couldn’t get hired. 

     I worked for the school system, so I was off on summer break. I was scheduled to go back to work in August. On July 4th, a voice that I believe was God, asked me, “Are you planning for a 2 hour commute to work?”  I got up that day, wrote my letter of resignation and immediately sent it to Human Resources. I still didn’t have a job but I quit anyway. Over the next month, I kept looking for work. I had even gotten to the point that I would accept any job. Working at a daycare center or even a restaurant. I finally got an offer from a temp agency. It was in my field and I thought, I would show them how good I was and maybe they would hire me. One day before I could begin my temp position, I received a message from a former colleague who knew that I had moved to a new city. She told me to reach out to someone we both knew because there was a position I could apply for in the local school district. I sent my resume, which led to an interview and was offered a position. I started that new position the same day that I was supposed to go back to my old position. 

II Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

     Paul writes this in his letter to Timothy while he is in jail. I imagine that while it serves as a word of encouragement to Timothy, Paul could find encouragement in this word for himself. I wonder how I would feel if my friend was encouraging me to do something that he was in jail for doing. Paul understood that our faith walk is not about our circumstances. It’s not about the success we can see or even what we perceive as success in our human experience. 

     In this life, we will face uncertainty. One reason for this is because we cannot see beyond the present. Even in the present, our view is often limited to our perspective. Even in a simple conversation, I don’t know the true motive of the other person. If you think about it too hard, it could cause worry, stress, and anxiety. Have you ever been on a job and they are making budget cuts? The uncertainty about whether or not they are cutting your position can cause you to analyze every comment and interaction, trying to see if you are on the chopping block. Then you begin stressing about how you are going to pay the bills without a job. Eventually, your thoughts become cluttered with anxious thoughts about how you are going to maintain without a job that no one said you have lost. This is why Paul encourages believers in Philippians chapter 4 to occupy our thoughts with the things that are good and true. He says that we should not be anxious about anything and encourages us to pray about everything, with thanksgiving to God. We are to focus on God and the reality of who he is instead of the uncertainties of life.

     Our human existence has but one certainty. One day our life will end and after it ends, we will be judged for how we lived it based upon God’s standard for our life. In other words, our life is not the total of things that happened to us. It is the total of our obedience to God. God is pleased when we obey him. Hebrews 11:6 reminds us that it is impossible to please God without faith. The first part of faith is believing in God.  The second part is sincerely seeking God with expectation that he will reveal himself to us. Sometimes we hear of people making pilgrimages to the holy land. The purpose of that journey is so they can make a deeper connection with their faith, leading them to personal transformation. I’ve heard that it is an amazing experience and maybe one day I will get to take that journey. We can have that same experience with God even if we never get to visit the holy land. When the bible says we are to diligently seek him, it is telling us that we are seeking God with the expectation that we will have a deeper connection with him. One that will transform our existence. It opens up a new reality that God defines our life, not our circumstances. 

     When faced with the reality of quitting a job (that God provided, by the way), my fear was rooted in the belief of that position as the provision for our lives. This is how we eat. This paycheck pays my bills, etc. Following the leading of God was an opportunity for me to trust God as my provider. Often following the voice of God will put you in a place of uncertainty. Places of uncertainty are places of opportunity. In the first chapter of James, we are told that when troubles come, it is an opportunity for joy. He goes on to say that these opportunities test our faith and that when our faith is tested our endurance and patience can grow. This concept seems easier to take when trouble comes your way that seems out of your control.  If I quit my job, it seems that I am causing my trouble. Had I quit my job because I just didn’t want to work any more, that would be true. I am focusing on the instances when we know God is telling us to do something uncomfortable. This is why we have to confirm everything with the Word of God. Faith is so much more than just believing God can do things for us. It involves seeking God so that he can reveal his will for us daily. It is the understanding that your walk with God, in his purpose for you, will take you down a path in which you cannot see what is next. As we take steps into what we cannot see, we trust that God leads us into the safest place we can be and that is in his will. 

     Fear of uncertainty is one of the tactics the enemy uses to get us to stop walking on our purpose. We must understand that faith in God is where we will find certainty. Certainty is not found in circumstances because they will change. Certainty for a baby is a bottle until they develop and grow to eat solid food. As we grow in Christ, our needs change and only God can determine what we need. He allows circumstances to come so that our spiritual needs can be met. When we walk by faith in uncertainty, we do so with the understanding that our certainty is in God. In this type of walk, God gets the glory because we depend on him for everything.

 As you walk in faith despite uncertainty, consider these action steps:

1. Trust God’s Plan Despite What You See

Proverbs 3:5-6 – "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

Action Step: When faced with uncertainty, make a conscious decision to trust God’s wisdom over your own reasoning. Begin each day with a prayer of surrender, declaring, "God, I trust You even when I don’t understand."

2. Speak God’s Promises Over Your Situation

2 Corinthians 5:7 – "For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Action Step: Replace fear-driven thoughts with faith-filled declarations. Speak God’s Word over your life daily, such as "God is my provider" (Philippians 4:19) or "He is working all things for my good" (Romans 8:28).

3. Take Action in Faith, Even When It Feels Uncomfortable

James 2:17 – "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead."

Action Step: Move forward in obedience, even when you feel uncertain. Whether it’s applying for a job, launching a business, or stepping into ministry, take the next step in faith, trusting that God will meet you in the process.

Prayer

Lord, we thank you for being our everything. We understand that you are the giver of life and without you we are nothing. Without you we have nothing. What we have is yours and our purpose is to steward what you have given us so that the world can see who you are as you shine through us.

Lord, help us to walk a victorious walk by faith. We trust you even when we don’t understand. We understand that we are not defined by the uncertainties of this life but by how we move forward in obedience to you despite what we can see. Amen

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