trusting god in uncertainty

I was a swimming lesson instructor for six years, working mainly with the young children in level one. I loved level one because the kids were so new to the concept of swimming and water safety that they were eager to learn what I had to teach. Plus, at that point, they thought I was still cool :) In level one, we focused mainly on getting the students comfortable with the water, teaching them safety precautions, how to call for help when they needed it, and survival techniques in the water. One of the main things we focused on was teaching these swimmers how to float. Being able to float is a safety skill that helps swimmers to keep their heads above water until help arrives if they are in a bad situation. In addition to that, being able to float helps the swimmer to conserve energy if needed so they can get out of the water safely.

Although floating is one of the best survival skills for people to learn, it is often one of the scariest. Floating often makes the first-time swimmers nervous because they aren’t in control. They feel nervous about putting their head back in the water and just trusting that they will float. Even when I would have my hand under the swimmers’ backs to help them, they were still hesitant. When people learn the basics to floating, however, they will be able to get themselves out of dangerous situations more safely.

I think that trusting God in uncertain times is similar to the concept of floating. When we feel like our life is out of control and the future is unknown, we feel like we need to do a bunch of work to keep ourselves above the water. Really, all we need to do, though, is to trust God and let Him keep us afloat. Going back to the reference of swimming, the more a person who does not know how to swim tries to fight to stay above the water, the likelihood of them going under is greater; this is where the survival skill of floating comes in. When panic sets in due to uncertainties in our lives, we just need to trust God fully.

 Like I supported my swimmers by holding their backs up while they learned how to float, God has his hand over us in all situations, helping us stay afloat during difficult situations and trials that feel like they could overcome us. When we choose to lean back into God’s hands, He will sustain us through whatever we face. Although we might not know what the future looks like and how everything will work out, we can have confidence in the steadfast truth that God will make our paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 says to “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”.

One of my favorite quotes is from Jim Elliot. He says, “I don’t know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future”. This quote has made so much sense to me when I have been walking in times of uncertainty. Although I am not sure how things will work out and what to do from there, I trust and know that God is in control. He has a plan and a purpose for all our lives, and even when we can’t see it, He is working all things out for OUR good. I know that just trusting God can be much easier said than done depending on the situation, but I truly have never found more peace than when I lean into God’s promises for me. He has a plan, and He is in control.

Daniel chapter 3 encourages me to trust in God even when the future is unknown. In Daniel 3, a king threw three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, into a fire for not following the king’s commands. The fire was so hot that even the soldiers who took the three men there were killed. When the king investigated the fire, however, he saw FOUR men standing in it when he had only thrown three in. The fourth person was an angel of the Lord. This amazing story shows us that we are never alone; God is always with us. No matter the fires that seem so overwhelming in our lives or the uncertainties we face, we can be confident that God will be our fourth man in the fire time after time.

Similar to floating in water, we can lean back and trust that Jesus will sustain us in whatever circumstances we face. Although we might not know what the future looks like, we can choose to trust and believe that God will make a way for us like He has time and time again. He never changes, and the same God that was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire is with us and walks beside us every day, interceding on our behalf to sustain us through uncertain times.