The world in which you presently find yourself is one that is fraught with uncertainty. Your worldview is always being tested. Perhaps your life goals, which you imagined you would have accomplished by now, are not coming true. Your formerly clear vision of the future has become hazy. The agony and fear, the feeling of isolation and loneliness, the sense of being lost and confused all contribute to your sense of disorientation. Instability on all levels of society and politics, as well as in your personal life, surrounds you. Realizing you can't influence anything is now an extremely sobering experience. Worry is rampant as fewer and fewer choices seem to be available. There are few moments in recent history as uncertain as the present. Your market insights and knowledge and that of the analysts you follow have all gone silent. No one can predict what happens next. It seems like wherever you looked for clarification has either stopped responding or is adding its own set of questions.
Feeling the way you do is natural and human; what matters is how you choose to respond. How will you handle being put in a difficult situation, and how will you handle the obstacles you face? The greatest thing to do in a situation like this is to focus on the future. In other words, it's important to learn from the past without letting it define you. This is what you shouldn't do: either obsess on what you lost or yearn for what you might have had. Do not dwell on the past. And what exactly is the past? The job you lost, dead relationships, missed opportunities, the people who let you down, those who owed you and reneged, moral or ethical failures that disadvantaged you, etc.
Staying mired in hurt, resentment, or disappointment will do nothing except hold you back. All of it, as challenging as it was, is now in the past. It's risky to put too much importance in the past or to count on something that may not come true. Attempting to pull the past along with you into an already uncertain future is futile. But the past has a way of attempting to remain attached to you. You must press on no matter the cost; doing so will require great courage, but it is necessary. You have it in you to do this.
And why should you move forward? - because if you don't, your future will soon be another past full of disappointments and regrets. Second, while things are unclear, no one can afford to be carefree or complacent. The Bible tells us of a time when Samuel became mired in his grief for Saul. And what did the Lord tell him?
“How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
What are those things in your life that you are still holding on to when the Lord has already rejected them?
The Lord moves on. So can you.
And yet again, what happened to Lot's wife in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was a severe and dramatic calamity that took so many people completely off guard? She couldn't let go of her preoccupation with the past, and as a result, she became trapped there. She just couldn't seem to make the leap into her future. Her memories were too powerful to overcome.
So what will you do? Which path will you choose?
Pray:
Lord, search my heart, pierce through and divide my soul and spirit, joints and marrow. Seek out my thoughts and intentions and forgive me of my sins and guilt. Heal my brokenness and align me fully to Your will. Weed out deception and insincerity from me. Bless me with wisdom and knowledge. Teach me to know Your ways and to walk in obedience and humility. Teach me to set my mind and heart on things above, where You are, and not on earthly things.
Lord, things are getting more difficult everyday. The world around me is becoming more unpredictable. Every area of my life feels like it’s going through an overhaul. When I look around me, everything seems bleak. I am afraid and full of uncertainty, doubt, worry, and frustration. I am panicking. When I look around, everyone seems to be going through the same thing. The effects of this economic downturn are real. Companies are laying off employees en masse and it’s just the beginning of the year. The effects of COVID are still here and my responsibilities are not getting any less.
And yet, through all this - You remind me that as Your child, who is called by Your name, I can approach Your throne of mercy and grace with confidence to ask for help, wisdom, ideas and alignment to Your purpose; to seek those things that I need in order to find my provision; to knock, so at the doors I need to walk through may open.
Teach me to ask without wavering, to seek in faith and to knock on doors knowing that through You, they will open. Please bring me peace during this season that I may be Your witness and others may glorify Your name and come to seek You too.
You reassure me that, for everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Lord, Jesus Christ, You are my only hope. Teach me to hope only in You and not in vain imaginations and things that perish. Teach me to know You and to rely only on You, believing that no matter what happens, I will say “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14
Lord, You will turn my mourning into dancing; You will loosen my sackcloth and clothe me with gladness, that my glory may sing Your praise and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever! Psalm 30:11-12