Blog Archives

Are unanswered questions driving you crazy?

Do you wish your life was more predictable?

Does it feel like you’ve reached your “uncertainty threshold?”

If so, then this post is for you.

It seems like uncertainty has been the theme of my life the past few years.

• When God told Leah and I to leave our home and church in Michigan, He didn’t tell us where we were going.
•  When God finally told us to go to Philly, He didn’t tell us which neighborhood.
• When God finally told us to move into South Philly, He didn’t tell us which building to start in.

Looking back I realize that each time God did reveal the next step, it didn’t erase our questions. It simply created a new level of uncertainty.

We have spent months looking for the right facility to use for the launch of CityLife Church, and still don’t have it nailed down. To be honest, I hate that it isn’t nailed down. The uncertainty makes it more difficult to plan. It also creates tension and anxiety. We have worked persistently to fill in this piece of the puzzle, but continue to wait for the door to open.

With each step of this journey, I have struggled with similar feelings. It felt like we waited forever to find out we were moving to Philly. Then it felt like we waited forever to find out we were moving to South Philly. Now it feels like we’ve been waiting forever to find a building.

Reflecting on this most recent church planting journey, here’s what I’m learning about the role of uncertainty in our lives.

As long as we’re willing to obey the whispers and promptings of God, we will have to embrace uncertainty. When God called Abraham to leave Haran, He didn’t tell him where he was going. God almost always leaves questions unanswered when He calls us to leave something or someone behind to pursue His call.

Uncertainty often exists because I’m not on God’s timeline. If we had pressed to answer the “where” questions on our own, we may have ended up in the wrong city or the wrong neighborhood. God slowed us down and allowed uncertainty into our lives so we’d get to the right place at the right time.

God uses uncertainty to increase our intimacy with Him. At times I feel like I’ve hit my “uncertainty threshold.” The truth is however, that those moments always surface when my walk with God becomes sporadic and undisciplined. When I’m not meditating on His Word, when I’m neglecting worship and prayer, when I’m failing to listen to His whispers–this is when uncertainty bothers me the most. But when I’m communing with God I can live at peace in the midst of uncertainty.

God uses uncertainty to build our faith. Looking back, God revealed Himself faithful in the way in which He directed us first to Philly, and then to South Philly. The process of waiting and praying gave us the opportunity to see God work in specific, dramatic, and undeniable ways to direct us to the place He wanted us to be.

God uses uncertainty to keep our lives exciting. Life is an adventure when things get unpredictable. Uncertainty also gives me the opportunity to set my feet on the floor each morning with a fresh sense of destiny. Today may be the day that God gives us our building miracle!

I know that when you’re up to your neck in uncertainty, it’s tempting to opt out in favor of a more predictable life. But I really believe that’s a trade you’ll live to regret.

Instead, why not embrace your uncertainty and experience the thrill of living a life that’s truly led by God.