Living in Pain and Uncertainty

Every day we are faced with the reality that we live in a painfully uncertain world. The recent events in Japan illustrate this as an earthquake brought buildings down, a tsunami washed things around, a nuclear catastrophe polluted the ground, and now a financial crisis threatens to make them economically unsound. Certainly this was not what the people of Japan thought was going to happen when they awoke on March 11, 2011. What was a brief moment on a clock, seemed an eternity for those who lived through it. The world that day for millions citizens in that country was forever changed or ended.

Severe weather outbreaks in the southern states of our nation underscores for us that painful uncertainty knows no political boundaries. Accu Weather writes, “April 2011 has been a horrific month for severe weather so far with more than 1,000 reports of tornadoes, hundreds of tornado-related deaths and unthinkable destruction.” Pictures in the news captured both shattered homes and lives that will take decades to rebuild. The media has displayed thousands of faces of people etched with pain who never anticipated such devastation.

We realize that pain and uncertainty do not arise from only the natural world. Some find the source of their agony in a doctor’s report concerning a suspicious growth. For others their life is altered as they receive notification that their financial investments have failed. Devastating words from a spouse that there was no future for their marriage crushes some. Uncertainty seeps into others when an employer announces their job has been eliminated. Others find the ending of a friendship the source of their pain. Abuse of a child by a parent can leave lasting painful scars for some. The disintegration of affection between a parent and their child may produce distressful emotions. Frankly, living in a fallen, painful world is troubling.

Jesus knows people face uncertainties. He cares and He does not ignore the painful perplexities that result. Prior to his crucifixion – certainly a distressfully dark time for the disciples – he says, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). These words were spoken in the context of assurances and promises that Jesus has just made.

Among the assurances Jesus gave his followers was that they would not be facing this troublesome world alone. He promised that he would give them the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is described as the “Helper” or the “Comforter” (15:26). The Greek word that is used here means “one who is called to one's side, especially called to one's aid.” The promise was repeated immediately before the ascension after Christ’s resurrection. Jesus told his followers that the Spirit was going to be given to them so they would have the power to live as clear and bold witnesses in a painfully uncertain world (Acts 1:4-8). Because of this Jesus would promise, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NIV). We do not face the world in which we live alone, even when we feel helpless and hopeless.

The Psalmist captured the attitude we can have when he wrote, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble. Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea” (Psalm 46:1-2). When our world falls apart, God doesn’t. He is a sufficient resource when all other resources fail. He is the divine director when chaos rules. When this reality is embraced by us in our painfully uncertain world, we do not have to fear. Calmness in crisis – what a paradox.

Report after report by survivors of the tornado-ravaged South said the same thing, “We could only cry out to God.” It is significant that people facing impending catastrophic devastation called out to God. Is this a reflexive response of just a few? Or is it the deeply held, albeit vastly ignored, reality buried in the minds of a majority of people who may be trying to live as if there is no God (Psalm 2). Perhaps it takes impending doom to uncover a reality that lies buried deep in people who are living in a state of denial. The reality is that we are not god, cannot control our world, have limited power and resources, and therefore need to reach out to our Divine Creator.

One news account tells about a mother and two daughters, Stormy and Sky (appropriate names!), in Trent, GA, who survived by seeking refuge in a tanning bed in their business! One daughter thought she would die. Her mother, Linda said she had her, “Pray and pray and pray.” Somehow that mother realized they needed Someone bigger than them. Are you looking to Someone bigger than you in this painful uncertain world? “Seek the Lord… call upon Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).