The unknown has always been a scary thought. Not knowing what lies ahead tends to make one unhappy and paralyzed. In an experiment conducted by some Dutch researchers a few years ago, they were able to record how much uncertainty affects us as human beings. In this experiment, there were 2 groups; the first group was told that they were to receive 20 strong electrical shocks while the 2nd group would only be given 3 strong shocks along with 17 mild ones. The experiment revealed that the second group experienced a higher level of anxiety than the first one. Their anxiety manifested in faster heart rates and amount of perspiration. This simply tells us that uncertainty can cause us greater pain. Other studies also point out that stress caused by our sense of uncertainty is not only unsettling, but is unhealthy. This stress slowly and surely consumes the life in you from the inside.
Because of the events in the recent months, this seems to be the ground where we are standing on. Many of us feel and believe that our world is standing on the brink of what we do not know. It makes us feel that the only thing we can do at the present is just to wait for things to go back the way it is. Israel faced a similar situation when they were given the news that Moses will not be crossing the Jordan river with them in Deuteronomy 31:2. The uncertainty was enough for them to be stuck in their unhappy and hostile present situation.
Moses however did not want the Israelites to be stuck in this mire of the unknown and immediately gathered the Israelites together with Joshua, the man who would succeed him. Deuteronomy 31:7-8 records what he told them, Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with these people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. This proclamation gives us 3 things we can hang on to when we are faced with crippling uncertainty.
1.) TRUST IN THE PRECEDENCE OF THE LORD
It is important to remember that it is The Lord who goes before us. There is no one more trustworthy than our God who keeps all His covenants and He is the one who blazes the trail ahead and directs us on where to tread. And He uses godly guides to show us the way just as how He guided Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. When push comes to shove, God’s promise never fails.
2.) REST IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR LORD
The Lord will always be with us. His promise to the Israelites still rings true up until this day. The God who has brought you safe thus far is also the same God who will take the next step with you. One of the Lord’s names is “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us“. However uncertain the path may seem, our Lord knows the way and He is always by our side.
3.) PROCEED IN THE PEACE OF YOUR LORD
The last thing that Moses tells the Israelites is not to fear. Does this mean that fear is bad and should be avoided? Quite the contrary. Fear is a God given alarm that alerts us from potential harm. On the flip-side, it makes for terrible control and it has the tendency to cripple us. The key is MINDFULNESS. Pay attention to your fears and be mindful how you respond to it. Respond to it like you would when hearing the wail of a smoke detector and make sure that it does not become your thermostat. What’s the difference? The former is an alarm while the latter is a control. A thermostat does not alert you to a shift in temperature but it adjusts the temperature to its preset settings. That way, you are able to take action to that fear as a response to that alarm.
It is also important to note how Moses acknowledged the threat of what lay ahead. By acknowledging this, he puts things in perspective. Yes the threat is real, but so is the promise of The Lord. At the end of it all, le tour fear of The Lord be greater than the fear in our circumstance. As we walk forward, let it be with the knowledge that God walks with us and He is and will forever be our strength and refuge.
