Where to Look When Everything Seems Uncertain

Written by J. D. Geear | We are living in upside-down days.

Jesus talked about how crises like the one we’re in will characterize the last days:

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ … You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.’(Matthew 24:3, 6–8 ESV)

To be clear: I’m not saying that these are the last days. Jesus told his disciples that it was not for them to know the times or the seasons, nor the day and hour of his return. But this passage helps us understand how to interpret life when it feels like everything that once was certain has suddenly become uncertain.

We should pay attention when a global pandemic strikes. Whatever else God is doing, he is waking the world up to our fragility of life and the reality of divine judgment.

Crises that rock our foundations are like birth pains. Birth pains can’t tell you the exact moment of new birth, but they indicate that the time is getting shorter and a new reality is coming. As the time of judgment draws near, we can expect things like this to only increase.

So, we are wise to discern in these times a divine warning God is giving to people on earth: The world we live in is temporary, and all our foundations are faulty. Everything in which we place our trust is crumbling.