Because our Father has clearly communicated with us, the Christian life is one of certainty. But what exactly are we certain of? What specific truths keep us tethered to eternity when the tangible world around us is liable to sudden disaster and the minivan’s check-engine light comes on (again)? God has given us many such truths, and it is the Christian’s joy to spend a lifetime unearthing those treasures and living in light of them.
If you’ve ever read a movie review, perhaps you skipped the parts with spoilers because the movie wouldn’t be as enjoyable if you already knew what was going to happen. When watching a movie or reading a novel, we hope to be entertained or moved by a great story, and part of that comes from being surprised or even saddened by the various twists and turns that lead up to the final resolution.
When it comes to real life, however, it’s probably safe to say that most people would appreciate more “spoilers.” Just thinking about the various tasks I can do on my phone in a matter of seconds is a reminder that finite, unsovereign creatures daily grasp for certainty. The weather forecast tells me what time a storm will come, the GPS tells me how many minutes the traffic jam will last, and the power-company app tells me when the lights will come back on. If we’re honest, we like these modern technologies because they make us feel just a little bit more in control in a fallen world that daily burdens us not only with present trials but also with potential trials. We might be discouraged about what happened yesterday, but we’re also anxious about what may happen next week.
Though our desire for certainty often manifests itself in sinful fear or a prideful attempt to defy our creatureliness, the desire for certainty isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Consider the holy certainty of God, for whom nothing is mysterious or unknown. He is not sitting on His throne imagining how He will respond if His plans are foiled, but rather, “He who sits in the heavens laughs” (Ps. 2:4). Why is He laughing? The nations rage, the peoples plot, and “the kings of the earth set themselves . . . against the Lord” (v. 2), but God is absolutely certain of who He is, and thus He is not alarmed or troubled whatsoever. His reign is eternal and indestructible, and He laughs at man’s feeble attempts to defy it.
Amazingly, God does not keep this laughter to Himself but desires His children to be laughing along with Him. We see this laughter in the God-fearing woman of Proverbs 31, who is clothed in strength and dignity, and “laughs at the time to come” (v. 25). This is no naive, “glass-half-full” laughter that turns a blind eye to the inevitable trials and frustrations of life in a fallen world. This laughter flows from an unwavering conviction that He who sits in the heavens is not only God Almighty but also perfect Father, who not only cares for but also communicates with His children. Weaving an astonishing narrative of redemption, He clearly reveals Himself in a Word that is fully trustworthy and sufficient. And through that Word, He beckons us to keep laughing—not by giving us a play-by-play of the next presidential election or a detailed timeline of our children’s sanctification; no, God’s Word does not eliminate earthly uncertainties, but it illuminates heavenly realities.
This laughter is the same happy confidence of the God-fearing man in Psalm 112: “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid” (vv. 7–8). The reason that he doesn’t fear bad news is not that he never receives any. He lives in the same fallen world of war, disease, and relational conflict as we do—a world of endless uncertainties—yet he sleeps soundly through the night and isn’t afraid to get up the next morning and read the newspaper. Why? In the fear of the Lord, he believes that what the Lord has spoken is absolutely true. He is a certain, steady, laughing Christian who looks on life through the lens of things that are rather than things that may be.
Because our Father has clearly communicated with us, the Christian life is one of certainty. But what exactly are we certain of?
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