Going forward in a year of uncertainty

Jan 04, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God when the future is unclear

Uncertainty is not a failure of faith; it is simply part of real life. God never promised certainty about outcomes, but He does invite you to trust who He is. Faith is not confidence in your plans; faith is confidence in God’s character. You can name your questions, release your need to control, and lean into His wisdom. As you do, your heart grows quiet even when your path is not. [12:52]

Proverbs 3:5–6: Trust the Lord with all you are. Don’t lean on what you can figure out by yourself. In every part of your life, acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight.

Reflection: What decision this month feels foggy, and how could you acknowledge God in it today—through prayer, wise counsel, or a simple act of surrender—instead of leaning only on your own analysis?

Day 2: Start moving; direction comes as you go

Like a navigation app, guidance often arrives after you press “start.” Waiting for perfect clarity can feel safe, but it can also keep you stuck. God frequently confirms the way while you are already taking obedient steps. Begin with the small action you know to do, and trust Him to provide the next instruction. He is faithful to meet you on the road, not just at the destination. [18:52]

Hebrews 11:8: Abraham obeyed when God called him to go to a land he would later receive; he set out without knowing where he was going, trusting God enough to walk into the unknown.

Reflection: What is one concrete “start” you can press this week—an email, a conversation, or an application—that would embody trust instead of waiting for complete certainty?

Day 3: Courage because God is with you

Anxiety may rise when steps feel risky, but God’s presence is the steadying truth under your feet. He tells His people, “Be strong and courageous,” not because life is easy, but because He is near. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the choice to act while holding God’s promise close. You can even speak that promise out loud when worry whispers. He goes with you into every room and season. [28:17]

Joshua 1:9: Be strong and brave; don’t give in to fear or discouragement, because the Lord your God goes with you wherever you travel.

Reflection: Where does fear tend to spike for you—mornings, meetings, or late at night—and what brief promise of God’s presence could you speak aloud in that moment?

Day 4: Plan with wisdom, hold outcomes with open hands

Wise planning matters, but knowing everything in advance is not required. Count the cost, make a thoughtful plan, and still leave room for God to redirect. The illusion of control fades when we remember that tomorrow is not in our hands. Saying “If the Lord wills” is not passivity; it is humble faith that welcomes His better way. Closed doors can be His guidance, not your failure. [24:41]

James 4:13–15: You who say, “We’ll go to this city and do business and make a profit,” don’t know what tomorrow holds. Your life is a mist. Instead, say, “If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that.”

Reflection: As you map the next quarter, which specific plan could you submit to the Lord by writing “If You will” at the top, inviting Him to edit or redirect as He sees best?

Day 5: Step forward into a new year with trust

This year will include questions you cannot answer today, and that is okay. What you can do is trust God’s hand and take the next faithful step. He delights to steady your feet, even when the ground feels uneven. You may stumble, but you will not be abandoned. Start, walk, and keep acknowledging Him—He will hold you fast. [35:36]

Psalm 37:23–24: The Lord secures the steps of those who belong to Him and takes joy in their path. They may trip, but they won’t be thrown down, because His hand is holding them up.

Reflection: Looking at the year ahead, what one faith-filled action will you take this week to step forward, trusting God to steady you even if the path is not fully clear?

Sermon Summary

A clear path into a new year begins by naming what most feel but rarely admit: life is uncertain, and faith does not erase that. Scripture never promises certainty; it promises God’s presence. The call, then, is not to secure every outcome, but to entrust the unknown to the One who is known. Hebrews 11 spotlights people who moved without a map—Abraham went out not knowing where he was going—because their confidence was anchored in who God is, not in what they could predict. Faith is not certainty about the future; faith is confidence in the character of God.

Proverbs 3:5–6 reframes the posture of the heart: trust the Lord with all your heart; do not lean on your own understanding; acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. That sequence matters. Direction follows surrender. Guidance unfolds as you move. Like a GPS that does not speak until you press Start, God’s direction often meets those who have already taken a step of obedience. Paralysis demands perfect clarity; trust takes the next faithful step.

Naming anxiety is part of discipleship. Fear is not failure; it is a signal to bring God into the process. God’s word speaks directly to fearful hearts—“I am with you,” “Be strong and courageous”—and those promises are not decorations; they are provisions. Speaking God’s promises aloud trains the heart to hear truth louder than uncertainty. This is not pretending the unknown is easy. It is choosing to be present to God’s presence within it.

Planning has its place—count the cost, be wise—but hold plans with an open hand: “if the Lord wills.” Obedience is not recklessness; it is responsiveness to God’s leading while refusing the illusion that control will save. God’s plan often takes time and rarely aligns with one’s preferred pace. Yet His timing and presence sustain those who step.

The invitation for the year ahead is simple and searching: trust God enough to start. Hit “Start,” acknowledge Him, take the step in front of you. Expect adjustments, but also expect companionship. Uncertainty is not a verdict against you; it is the context where God proves faithful and where courage is formed.

Key Takeaways

1. Faith is confidence in God’s character. Faith does not demand a forecast; it rests in who God has shown Himself to be. The saints in Hebrews moved forward because they knew God, not because they knew the path. When certainty fades, character holds. Anchor the heart in His unchanging nature. [12:52]
2. Direction often comes after you start moving. Like a GPS, guidance frequently arrives once you press Start. Obedience creates the conditions for clarity; waiting for perfect clarity often creates stagnation. Take the next faithful step and let God adjust your route as you go. [18:33]
3. Trust that refuses self-reliance. “Lean not on your own understanding” is not anti-thinking; it is anti-arrogance. Plan wisely, count the cost, but hold outcomes loosely before God. Surrender is the doorway to straight paths because it makes room for God’s leadership. [15:30]
4. Speak God’s promises to your fear. Anxiety grows in silence; it shrinks when truth is spoken aloud. Declare, “God is with me,” and “Be strong and courageous,” until the heart learns a new reflex. Confession turns promises into practiced hope in the middle of uncertainty. [28:17]
5. Obedience in uncertainty forms courage. Courage is not the absence of trembling; it is a decision to move because God is near. Joshua’s strength flowed from God’s presence and promise, not from predictable circumstances. Take the step, and let courage grow with each act of trust. [36:07]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[02:29] - Theme: Trusting in Uncertainty
[02:41] - Stepping Into a New Year
[02:59] - When the Future Is Unclear
[07:16] - Faith Does Not Eliminate Uncertainty
[10:39] - Hebrews 11 and Abraham’s Example
[12:52] - Faith Is Confidence in God
[15:30] - Trust in the Lord, Not Understanding
[18:33] - Hit Start: Move to Receive Direction
[26:02] - Naming Anxiety and Inviting God In
[28:17] - Speak God’s Promises Aloud
[35:50] - Do We Really Trust God?
[36:07] - Joshua: Be Strong and Courageous
[40:14] - Closing Prayer and Sending

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- The following passages will ground our discussion:

- Hebrews 11:8

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

- Proverbs 3:5–6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

- Joshua 1:9

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Observation questions

In Hebrews 11:8, what did Abraham know, and what did he not know, when he obeyed?
In Proverbs 3:5–6, what is the sequence of actions? Which comes first, and what follows?
In Joshua 1:9, what reasons are given for courage? What phrase is repeated?
In the “hit Start” picture, when does direction usually come—before or after movement? What was the point of that image? [18:33]

Interpretation questions

If faith is confidence in God’s character rather than certainty about outcomes, what does that imply for how a believer makes decisions when details are unclear? [12:52]
“Lean not on your own understanding” resists arrogance, not thinking. How does that challenge both overconfidence and passivity in the life of a believer? [15:30]
How do Hebrews 11:8 and the “hit Start” picture together teach that obedience creates the conditions for clarity? [18:33]
If God’s presence is the provision behind “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9), how might speaking God’s promises aloud retrain the heart to hear truth louder than fear? [28:17]

Application questions

Where are you waiting for perfect clarity right now? What would it look like to “hit Start” with one small, faithful step this week? [18:33]
Write down one promise from Scripture you will speak out loud when anxiety rises (for example, Joshua 1:9). When will you speak it, and who can check in with you about it? [27:50]
In what area have you been leaning on your own understanding? What is one specific way you will acknowledge God first in that area this week (pray before acting, ask wise counsel, pause and submit plans)? [15:30]
Name one plan you’re making for this year. How will you both “count the cost” and hold it with an open hand—“if the Lord wills”? What practical change would show that open-handed posture? [23:31]
Courage grows with movement, not with perfect conditions. What trembling step of obedience will you take in the next 7 days because God is with you? [36:07]
What anxiety are you carrying into this week? How will you invite God into the process today—through a specific prayer, by sharing with a trusted friend, or by changing one small habit? [26:02]
After you take a step, how will you stay attentive for God’s adjustments—what simple practice will help you listen (daily Scripture, a few minutes of quiet, journaling, asking for feedback)?

Sermon Clips

39s

#JustStart

“``Direction to where you want to go. Tell you where to go automatically. No. She said no. Okay. First thing you gotta do. I think what in their directions is what you have to do. You have to Hit what? Star. Yeah. You gotta hit star. So if you know and hit star, You know No one tell you where to go. Am I right? You got to hit star. You got to start. You got to start.”

44s

#TrustGodInUnclearTimes

“we wanted to talk about today is trusting. We're talking about trusting. And what? Speak. Alright. The the the lesson is stepping forward in a new year of uncertainty. Stepping forward in a new year of uncertainty. Oh, thank you. Our theme was trusting God when the future is unclear. Trusting God when the future is unclear. Now what is it? Usually, we trust. What would you say? That's evening.”

39s

#WalkByFaith

“the Hebrews chapter 11 is what is all the phases after. There are a number of people who are identified in the chapter who show safety. Show safety. But it does the issue. We have safety. Now I'll be uncertain. Well, I'm gonna be uncertain, so I'm not gonna know. You're saying it will be enough. Probably won't know it, but the fact of the matter is that Abraham so Abraham, do you even know where he's going?”

44s

#BuildAsYouGo

“So we start building the house to make sure we got enough to pay for it. Okay. Now some people misunderstand that. And they say you gotta know everything. No. You don't have to know everything. What happens from Facebook also visit? Right. I couldn't marry you. Suppose. But the last part, it says, right, is an illusion. You may say this is what I plan to do. Something works out. That's what's. Right?”

58s

#EmbraceTheUnknown

“I've been, you know, in our home, and we did something. Didn't know where to go in. Anybody I didn't know what I was going to see when I got there. You didn't know what it's gonna look like when I get here. Sure. I don't know how to be on the table when I get there. So You don't have any idea what you're doing. That's too safe. That's too safe. Okay?”

45s

#SayItOutLoud

“What was the last time? I am with you. Okay. Now that's still sort of something here. One more time. You wait. It's important. Right? If you write it down in those clubs, no. It's gonna be on text. That's the way we know it. Okay. That's what I teach. Two word I teach. Okay. But say it. You don't session. No. Say it out loud, And you know that I'm gonna use over here.”

55s

#BeginBoldly

“Okay. I'm I'm I'm looking I'm I'm doing I'm really trying to sign. Tell me. You know? That's what I'm asking. Okay. Let me show to you. Let me show them to you. I understand. She we're trying to show a if I do, we'll see you. I'm gonna be. She is and by the time I get to jail, we'll I'm lost. I have to start. You have to start.”

32s

#FaithOverCertainty

“So we'll probably about I don't know if it's it's something great. But alright. And that's our objective. That's our objective. So we will recognize uncertainty. There's a moment. This is okay. There's uncertainty. There's nothing to be wrong with that. Understand, God does not promise certainty, but it's a preference of the.”

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Going forward in a year of uncertainty

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God when the future is unclear

Day 2: Start moving; direction comes as you go

Day 3: Courage because God is with you

Day 4: Plan with wisdom, hold outcomes with open hands

Day 5: Step forward into a new year with trust

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Going forward in a year of uncertainty

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