Cling to what is certain

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. (Psalm 37:7)

Bad things happen to good people – every day. We get sick. We have accidents. We lose our jobs. 

Over this past week, I witnessed terrible things happening to a large number of good people – 446, to be precise; 362 of those in my local area. Many of those affected, I knew, personally.

I never heard the term RIF until just recently. A RIF is a Reduction In Force, implemented by corporations that need to downsize their employment-population. I’m intimately familiar with the acronym, now. 

Thanks to my employer’s recent RIF, a lot of my friends and co-workers are currently unemployed. Kind, talented individuals now face an uncertain future in a world that turned upside down in the blink of an eye. 

While I was blessedly spared from this week’s RIF, that’s not to say I will be the next time around. As the old saying goes, nothing is certain in life but death and taxes. 

Or is it? 

My God is omniscient. He is omnipresent and omnipotent. My God is sovereign over everything that touches my life and the lives of all those affected by this week’s event. 

Bad things happen to us, and while we don’t always understand why they do, we have to trust that God has a purpose for everything. That much is certain. 

While I can’t always control what happens to me, in life, I can control how I will respond to the unexpected. I will pray. That much is certain, too. 

I am praying for all my friends. I am covering them with prayer and asking God to bring them peace in this time of uncertainty. I am keeping in touch with everyone – sending them my love, prayers, encouragements, and Bible verses every day. I will continue to remind them that they are not alone and not to let this week’s actions define them. 

We, as Christians, are called to be God’s hands and feet during times of uncertainty. We are called to demonstrate His love by loving one another. 

Be there for someone who’s going through a time of difficulty. Remind your friends that tomorrow is a new day and that you’re going to love them today and tomorrow – through thick and thin. Show kindness. Be encouraging. Lift up one another. 

Never underestimate the power of presence. Your demonstration of love will serve as a potent reminder that God is always with us – through the good times and the bad. In HIs time, He will raise the downtrodden, again. 

Cling to the certainty of that statement. Cling to the certainty of God.