Choose to Believe

What are you afraid of?

I remember the first time I took my son to get his first haircut. He was terrified. I tried to tell him that it didn’t hurt. That there was nothing to be afraid of. But he had never done it before. It was the fear of the unknown. After all, it hurts when someone pulls your hair! Wouldn’t it hurt if someone cut it! He wouldn’t let anyone touch his hair. Until… until I went first. I sat in the chair & I let them cut my hair first. After seeing me get my hair cut he was still a little worried, but not as scared.

Why?

Because I had gone before him.

Sometimes what we worry about most, what we’re most afraid of… is simply not knowing. Not knowing how this difficult situation is going to work out, if we’re going to pass the next test, if we’re going to make the cut, if our marriage will last, if our kids are going to turn out ok, & so much more. There are so many unknowns.

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If we just knew, everything would be ok. So how do we live faithful lives in a world when we simply don’t know how things are going to work out?

Let’s face it — there’s a lot unknown to you. Your future is unknown.

Some of you students are worried about…

Who you will marry? Where will you work & how will you make a living one day? What will this semester in school be like? Where will you go to college? Will you have any friends there? Will your parents stay together or are you afraid they might get a divorce?

Some of you are worried about your marriage…

Is it going to last? Will we be able to make it while we’re raising kids? What will life be like when the kids leave? Will I still love her? Will I still love him? Are we growing apart?

Some of you are worried about your job…

Will you get a raise next year? Will you still have this job next year? Will you have to move & relocate? Will you be able to make it financially if something doesn’t change? Will you be skipped over again for the promotion? Can you get a new job? Will it pay as good as the last job?

Some of you are worried about your kids…

Will they make good friends? Will they make good choices? Will they make good grades? Who will they marry? Where will they live?

Some of you are worried about the presidential election…

Who is going to win? What happens if he wins? What happens if she wins? Should I move to another country?

Some of you are worried about the future of your church…

Where are we headed? What happens if the elders make a decision I disagree with? What happens if something happens in worship that I don’t like? What happens if my voice is heard but nothing changes? What happens if I don’t get my way?

We rarely know what the next 24 hours hold, much less the next 6 months. Even as I’m listing all these things that are unknown, some of you can feel the tension rising in your body. You know who you are. These things really worry you. Some of us more than others, but at some point in life we all grow fearful of what’s ahead. Of what’s unknown.

How do we overcome the fear of the unknown?

So how do we live faithful lives in a world when we simply don’t know how things are going to work out? How do we trust God when we truly have no idea how our lives are going to go? How do we walk by faith & not by sight into the future?

In your Bible there’s a story about a man who, if anyone ever had the right to be worried about the future, if anyone ever had reason to be mad at God, if anyone ever had permission to be stressed out about what would happen next, it would be this guy. His name is Joseph. His story is found in the very first book in your Bible, in Genesis. And it’s the single longest story in the book of Genesis. So there’s something in Joseph’s story that we can learn.

Now you may have had a pretty rough life. But I want you to hear what happened to Joseph. I think you’ll agree, he had it pretty rough.

Joseph’s life just keeps taking dramatic turns for the worst. His mom dies when he’s young. His brothers sell him into slavery. His master’s wife falsely accuses him of rape. He get’s sent to prison for 2 years. Can you imagine how Joseph must have felt? Do you think at any point Joseph was afraid? Do you think throughout all these incredible difficulties he worried about the future? I mean, his life is turning out nothing like what I’m sure he imagined it to be as a young man. Do you think that almost every day Joseph worried or thought about what was coming next? I’m sure he did. But I want you to notice something that reoccurs throughout Joseph’s story. At every point of difficulty, at every downward turn, God was WITH Joseph. Listen to these 4 verses & the theme that rises.

The LORD was with Joseph & he prospered… Genesis 39.2

… the LORD was with him & the LORD gave him success in everything he did. Genesis 39.3

But while Joseph was there in prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness & granted him favor… Genesis 39.20-21

… the LORD was with Joseph & gave him success in whatever he did. Genesis 39.23

Maybe you’ve felt like your story & Joseph’s story has a few things in common. Maybe you’ve felt like you’ve been treated unfairly or unjustly. Maybe you’ve felt like over & over again throughout your life you’ve gotten the shaft. But here’s what’s amazing about Joseph’s story & I think this is true of your story too… In the story of Joseph we see how God is at work, even when he couldn’t understand his current situation & the future seemed unclear, God was working all things out for Joseph’s good & for God’s ultimate glory.

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Your story, my story… there’s so much unknown. The future is unclear. Your path could take a thousand different directions or turns. And for some of you that’s scary. That’s really scary.

But, when you’re afraid of the unknown, put your faith in the KNOWN.

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We don’t have to fear the future because we know that God is with us. Present. Here. All we have to do is choose to believe. And if we believe what we say we believe, it literally changes everything.

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I’ve heard it said so many times before, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” So many times people say this when they’re looking for a job or they’re wondering about the next opportunity. But this is true in all of life. It really isn’t about what you know… you can’t know the future, you don’t know what’s ahead. It really is about WHO you know. You know the God of the universe. And what’s more, He knows you by name. So when you’re afraid of the unknown, put your faith not in what you know, but in WHO you know.

So how do you overcome the fear of the unknown?

Part of the answer is found in where you put your hope, where you put your faith.  If your hope & your faith is found in you, then you’re right.  You have reason to fear.  You should be afraid.  But if your hope is found in God, if you put your faith in Him, then you don’t have to be afraid.

Why?

Because He’s already gone before you.