Good morning: “I just don’t know, Pastor. I just don’t know.” I often heard that sentiment from a dear fellow believer whom I visited in a nursing home years ago. He had lived a long, full life and was thankful for countless blessings from the Lord. But he had also experienced many ups and downs along the way. People and things which had seemed to be solid and sure had not always turned out to be reliable. “Safe” assumptions had proven to be mistaken. He was wondering what he could count on. Can you relate? Does it seem as though nothing is absolutely sure? It’s hard to live confidently if you don’t have certain absolutes to rely on. A university professor told a gathering of parents and students on orientation day that they should question everything. There are no absolutes, he suggested. If that were true, we too would have to say, “I just don’t know.” No matter how uncertain everything else is, there is one thing we can be so sure of that we can trust our eternal future to it. Peter writes, “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (1 Peter 1:19). We don’t have to rely on our own experience or wisdom. We are not at the mercy of other human beings for absolute truth. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). God’s holy Word is the light of hope in times of desperation. It is the lamp for our feet when we are unsure of where to go. It is the light of Jesus which shines into our hearts with the assurance that all of our sins have been washed away by His blood. By faith we are children of God and heirs of heaven. No doubt about it. If God says so, it is so! Be sure! Yours in His name, Pastor Services tomorrow are at 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday school is at 9:15 a.m. and adult Bible class begins at 9:30 a.m. We’ll continue our discussion of the lie: God helps those who help themselves.
