Skip to main content

Certainty in the Midst of Uncertainty

“Nothing is certain except death and taxes” or however the saying goes.  I would beg to differ!

But first, it would probably be good to figure out what “certain” means.  Certain is defined as the quality of being reliably true.  That definition would also mean that an anticipated or scheduled event is definitely going to take place.

The opposite of certain is uncertain.  Things may or may not be true and events may or may not happen.  A clue to when things are uncertain is when we use words like “if”, “or”, “but”, and “maybe”. 

I recently read a verse in Jeremiah where certainty seems to be, well, certain:

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved.  For you are my praise.”  (Jer 17:14)

In this verse, certainty seems to be established by the use of the words “and” and “will”.  Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed.  There are no “ifs”, “ors”, “buts’ or “maybes”.   

But uncertainly, at least from our perspective, does seem to creep in.  I think it’s because we have expectations of how God should heal (and save) and when He should do so.  But the reality is that God’s plans and purposes are perfect and they are implemented out of His perfect wisdom and power.  So, when He heals (and saves), it certainly happens just a as it should!   

It seems to me that if we want to have any level of certainty in the midst of our uncertainty, it likely comes when we use those same two words of “and” and “will” in this way:  God’s plans and purposes are perfect and I will trust Him! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Excel Still More!

To excel, according to some of the meanings from a few dictionaries, is to surpass others, do extremely well, outdo, do something better than anyone else. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, we find the phrase “excel still more”.   It prompts the question:  if we are already doing something better than anyone else, why would we be encouraged to do even more? Perhaps it would be helpful to see the wording that other translations use for “excel still more” to see why we would be encouraged to do so.  Here is a sampling: • abound more and more • to keep doing so more and more • but try even harder • live that way more and more. • that you progress even more. • that you increase more and more in how you ought to walk Maybe it would also be helpful to see some other verses where the word “excel” is used: “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means Dorcas); this woman was excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually.”...
Post a Comment
Read more

New Year Trash or Treasure?

You probably know the old saying:  “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”.  I am not going to try to prove or disprove it, just look at it from a different angle. Cheryl and I were recently walking on a beach in Florida .  A man was walking along with a bag and was picking up trash and putting it in the bag.  Was he picking up things of value? We also saw a different man walking along the same beach with a metal detector.  He would swing it back and forth and would occasionally stop and dig in the sand.  Was he looking for things of value? Both were intent.  Both were focused.  Both were diligent. I’m guessing that the one picking up trash was not looking for things of value.  I’m also guessing that, by picking up trash, he was valuing the beauty of the beach and didn’t want the trash to mar it.  The one with the metal detector, I’m guessing that he was not looking for metallic items of trash but was looking for...
1 comment
Read more

Value Proposition

Value proposition:  it’s a marketing statement that summarizes why a consumer should buy a product or use a service.  It should clearly and concisely communicate what customers can gain from selecting a particular brand over that of its competitors. In a value proposition, you don’t want your product to be viewed as being worth less than what your competitors offer.   But even worse, in a bit of a quirk of how letters and spaces can fall, if you take out the space between “worth” and “less”, you get “worthless”, which means something of no value.   If that word is used in conjunction with how your product is viewed by customers, it’s a word that will likely kill your brand. In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul, in a sense, communicated some value propositions. In chapter three, he starts off with describing the value of some things that many considered as extremely valuable in that day and age.   They had to do with status and achievement in the reli...
Post a Comment
Read more