Glad Tithings

Handling Uncertainty

Have you followed the various scenarios of what might happen at midnight on December 31, 1999? That's when the infamous Y2K (Year 2000) problem kicks in-when computers and technical equipment that have chips programmed with only two digits for annual dates try to figure out how to handle 00. Does that mean 1900 or 2000?

What Happens Next?

Everyone seems to agree some disruption will occur. The question is: How much and how long will it last?

Speculation ranges from total collapse of the world's economy and resulting anarchy to minor problems such as temporary isolated power failures. I'm not an expert on Year 2000, but as I understand it the challenge is basically 1) how to reprogram or replace certain computer chips and 2) how to contend with the failure of those that were not replaced and do fail. It's impossible to know with certainty which ones will fail and what the consequences of failure will be. Nor is there sufficient time to replace or reprogram all that might fail, and it is virtually impossible to access them all even if there were time. Defective computer chips can be found far out in space, under the oceans and deep in the ground. Further, some chips that fail may cause others without defects to malfunction as well.

Another problem is that many countries are not nearly so well prepared as we are here in the US. Some experts speculate that chip failures in foreign lands could seriously impact American systems. The ultimate disaster would be the failure of the banking systems and national economies worldwide.

So what should we do to prepare for January 1, 2000? Some, perhaps most people at this point, are not inclined to do anything. The alarmists are selling their homes, converting all their assets into precious metals or cash and adopting a survival mentality. Others recommend a strategy of investing-at least for the short-term-in companies that manufacture generators, on the assumption that we will need to create our own electrical power. Then again, no one knows what the value of that stock will be on January 1.

Talk about uncertainty! This year is probably fraught with more uncertainty than any year in the last 70 years-and perhaps the last 100. Some argue there is more uncertainty this year than in the last 2000 years. It seems the world goes through some speculative exercise on the eve of every centennial and definitely each millennium. The 1929 stock market crash certainly produced a wealth of uncertainty, at least afterwards. First came panic, then uncertainty. Today we know in advance that we face great uncertainty. So what should we do about it.?

How Should We Respond?

The bottom line for each of us is to understand and do what God wants us to. That almost certainly will be different for every single one of us. He might want you to go purchase a generator. He might want your neighbor to stock up on gasoline. He might want someone else to move to the country. He might want me to sit tight.

But unless you know what He wants you to do, you can do everything you can possibly think of to be prepared and still miss the mark completely. And even if you hit the bull's eye, unless you know beforehand that you have done what He wants you to, you will not have the peace that accompanies the assurance that you are doing His will.

How do you find peace in the midst of uncertainty? A major financial investment firm claims to make money for investors the old-fashioned way-they earn it. Christians find peace the old-fashioned way also-on their knees in prayer. There are no shortcuts.

To know that you know that you know God's plan for you, and to be certain that you are being obedient in fulfilling your responsibilities within that plan, you must spend sufficient time with Him to hear whatever He has to say. If you are available to the Lord in prayer and meditation (listening) on a regular daily basis, you can be confident that if He has spoken, you will have heard his message because you have been listening. You can also be confident if you haven't heard anything that you haven't missed something.

What If You Don't Get an Answer?

My rule of thumb in such circumstances is this: If in doubt, maintain the status quo. Don't act until you hear God telling you to do something different. If He does have specific direction for you, then you must be obedient to do what He directs. In the absence of direction, taking action represents disobedience. No matter how concerned you may be about a problem, unless and until you are able to understand what God wants you to do about it, your best course of action is to do nothing but continue to listen. The more concerned you are, the more motivated you should be to listen. God is perfectly capable of telling us when it is time to act. We are much more likely in our humanness to act without God's direction, or even to not do what He has directed than we are to wait until He has spoken.

A classic example in the Bible of disobedience combined with impatience is when Saul took plunder in disobedience to God, then became impatient when Samuel failed to arrive when expected to offer the sacrifice. Saul just could not wait any longer, so he offered the sacrifice himself. That act of disobedience founded on impatience cost Saul the kingdom (I Samuel 15).

If you are concerned about how God wants you to proceed to meet the challenges of the Year 2000, begin immediately to position yourself to hear and do whatever God is saying to you. If you need help, CSM's Life Management Study is specifically designed to help you learn how to hear, understand and obey God.

Remember God has a plan, and He knows all that will happen as a result of the Y2K challenge. His will will be done. The only real question is whether you will be where God wants you to be, when He wants you to be. You are the only person in the entire world who can listen and obey God's individual call to you.

Start the next millennium in the heart of God's will for you. Begin to listen now and be obedient to whatever God is saying to you. Like Samuel, you can respond to God's voice: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."

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(NOTE: An interesting book on this subject is Y2K The Millennium Bug, A Balanced Christian Response by Shaunti Feldhahn, published by Multnomah Press.)

© 1999 by Christian Stewardship Ministries, 10523 Main Street, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. Telephone (703) 591-5000, fax (703) 273-1795, e-mail ken@csmin.org