The God of Uncertainty
posted on August 23
The God of Uncertainty
“…And remember I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20
Uncertainty is all the rage these days. We spend a lot of time each day wondering what is next. COVID-19, which could be in our rearview mirror, continues to block the road. The Taliban break our collective hearts, especially the hearts of Afghans, veterans, and their families. Division runs deep, and the church has found itself imitating culture instead of influencing it. Uncertainty is all the rage.
I faced my own uncertainty last weekend. My beloved daughter Ellen, my mini-me, the apple of my eye, developed Preeclampsia in her 38th week of pregnancy. As her blood pressure climbed, so did mine. As her appetite waned, so did mine. Her obstetrician delivered her of a 7 pound, 11.8 ounce daughter by emergency Caesarean section on Monday, August 16 at 2:38 pm. Uncertainty took on a new meaning, as now I began to look for any signs of concern over her baby’s health. Were her hips aligned after all those months in a breech presentation? Was her plumbing connected properly? Did she have the senses of sight and hearing? Did her blood pump properly all the way to her tiny fingers and toes? Uncertainty became all the rage as this grandmother was born on a hot summer afternoon, sitting alone in a mask in a large clean lobby at the Women and Children’s Center at Moses Cone.
Thankfully, we have a God who attends us in our uncertainty. I was not actually alone as I sat in that lobby, or as I nervously nibbled a half of a cheese sandwich, waiting for a text or picture from my son-in-law, waiting for that moment when I could go past those closed doors to take on my official and treasured role as “second support person.”
God is so eager to attend you in your own uncertainty, whether it be about your own health, the health of someone you love, the future of the church, frustration over the division around COVID-19, or the deep grief over the losses that people across our globe are experiencing - people who don’t have at hand the many gifts we take for granted or even reject. That God, our God, is your God in uncertain times. That is the God I asked to attend Ellen, Frank, and Lucia last Monday … and before … and since.
As one who has also experienced uncertainty (many times), I write to encourage you that Christ is present among us. He sits with us in isolation, in lobbies, in sanctuaries, in church meetings, and as we watch the news. He is with us, and he will remain with us. May we glorify him by obeying his precepts, and giving him our uncertainty. He would love to exchange it for hope, which he continues to offer in abundance to those who will receive it.
Looking Forward,
Rev. Bev Coppley (Lu’s Gramma)
District Superintendent
