[1]EDITOR’S NOTE: This column is part of the call to prayer issued by Frank S. Page, president of the SBC Executive Committee, to pray for revival and spiritual awakening for our churches, our nation and our world. Baptist Press is carrying columns encouraging Southern Baptists to pray in specific areas and for specific needs in petitioning the Father for spiritual awakening.
HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (BP) — Here’s the thought I can’t shake this week: The uncertainty of life brings stress, but the certainty of Christ brings peace. I don’t know about you, but I can sure live between these two realities.
In many ways our family, probably like yours, has a lot of change happening. We have two in college, and next year we’ll have three (at the same time). Twenty years ago, I guess we could have thought that through a little better! Do we downsize our house or not? With three daughters, how will we pay for weddings? Grandkids?
Wendy and I are 50 years old and we have a 10-year-old boy from Haiti as our son now. Wow! — not the Haiti part but the 10-year-old-boy part! Ha! Our parents are aging, we’re thinking “second half” issues, and we wonder if we’re saving enough for retirement. And, following the recent death of our pastor, there are obvious changes and challenges at our church (Long Hollow) that have all of us on our knees. In many ways, these are exciting days; they are definitely filled with uncertainty, and at times stress and even worry. Maybe you can relate.
My thoughts go to the events of the week leading up to Easter a couple of thousand years ago. No one else knows what’s coming; but Jesus does. He knows He’s about to go to the cross and I can’t imagine what’s going through His mind. Thursday night of that week, Jesus holds what will become known as “The Last Supper” with His disciples, He’ll pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He’ll be betrayed and arrested and condemned. Friday morning, He’ll stand before Pilate and Herod. He’ll be sentenced to death and then led away to be mocked and beaten and crucified. Jesus, being God, knew exactly what was coming. In fact, He knew it all along. That’s why He left heaven and came to this world. Chaos was swirling around Him during what we call Passion Week; but He had a certainty in the middle of the uncertainty.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “He will have no fear of bad news whose heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” I find comfort, not just in knowing Jesus’ example, but in knowing HIM. Not just in knowing better how to carry my burdens, but in casting my burdens on Him, trusting that He can carry them better than I can. He’s proven it. Even though the uncertainty of my life brings stress, the certainty of Christ brings me peace. And that makes all the difference.
[2]So may God get all the glory as we celebrate the certainty of Christ — the certainty of His payment for our sins, the certainty of His resurrection and the certainty of His love for us!