Dealing With Life's Uncertainties Part One.

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By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Hebrews 11:8)

If Abraham is a member of today's church, he will score a straight F in "Steps To Successful Living". "...he went out, not knowing [where he was going]. That doesn't make a thread of sense. If subjected to today's success principles; Abraham's action will find no place, it will fail abysmally as a success strategy. Lets examine some of the popular ones Abraham was acting contrary to: "Be Specific, know what you want and go for it". "If you don't know where you're going, any road will lead you there".

Clearly, by today's success principles, Abraham was jeopardising his future, he was setting himself up for failure. He was undertaking a journey with no destination in mind. Right there in Hebrews 11, the father of faith set out without any destination in mind. He set out holding on to only a promise of God. He was specific about nothing. He planned nothing. He set out only by faith.

Now, I am in no way contesting the usefulness of life's success principles. We all need them. However, as helpful as success principles are (which mostly originates from the Bible anyway), the reality on the ground is that, in our walk with God, there are moments of uncertainty---intense uncertainty, doubts, fear, confusion --- when God seems totally silent. Things are getting out of hands, pressure is mounting, but God seems just mute---unconcerned. Those are difficult moments. We can't know it all. We cannot figure it all out. In those moments, our nice success principles will not help.

Could you for a second attempt to read into the minds of some who went ahead of us in the faith. Try hard! Get into Joseph's mind while he was languishing in jail with his dream still fresh on his mind. What was going on in his mind? Uncertainty! How about Moses? He was forty years when he fled Egypt. By the time God appeared to him, he was eighty years. What was going on in his mind during those moments of God's silence? Uncertainty! David has been anointed King of Israel, yet he lived in the wilderness and in caves as a vagabond. What has happened to the promise of God? Uncertainty!

Man is born unto trouble (Job 5:7): We will all at a point in life, in different circumstances--face uncertainties. It's a guarantee, not a speculation: How do we handle our uncertainties then? I believe there are about four essential truths to glean from Hebrews 11:8 and God willing, I will treat them in subsequent posts.