Our world is going through a time of insecurity. People don’t know if their jobs are secure. When we look to our neighbours to the south, we realize that the world is in many ways on the brink. What will happen if he wins? What will happen if she wins?

The author of PsychoCybernetics, Maxwell Maltz, estimates that 95 percent of people in Western society have a strong sense of insecurity. With all the turmoil and instability both politically and economically, normal expectations are no longer guaranteed.

Now for individuals, there are many different causes of insecurity. We may have had some bad experiences in our childhood. It may have been dysfunctional relationships, constantly moving meaning changing schools all the time. There may have been a crisis of losing a loved one which make us question life and God.

This insecurity can lead to destructive behaviors which can lead to self-harm or harm towards others. One author pointed out four characteristics of insecurity: aggressiveness, addictive behavior, affective behavior, and criticism. Each one has negative outcomes of escapism or destruction.

Things like addiction may seem like a way of coping with insecurity and may bring us temporary relief, but it often leads to a dependence on something that we will eventually need more and more of. We see that in things like drug and alcohol addiction where the need leads to harder drugs to escape the stress and anxiety of life’s problems.

So the question needs to be asked, “Where do we find security” when life becomes unstable? When things in life seem upside down and unstable, we can always go back to the Bible to find focus and a firm foundation on which to stand.

In Hebrews 6:19, we are offered “an anchor for the soul” to help with our insecurity.

But the Bible not only gives us promises. Throughout the Bible we find accounts, examples of men and women whose lives were filled with instability yet remained faithful and focused in their lives. One example was the apostle Paul. For a man called to a seemingly impossible task, he was secure in himself and in God. He demonstrated security in dealing with a horrendous storm and shipwreck. We find this story in Acts 27. Paul had been arrested and was on his way to Rome to be tried and eventually executed. Along the journey, a great storm arose and all on the ship feared for their lives. Paul remained calm and took leadership in the situation and in the end, not a life was lost. It would have been easy to panic, but Paul remained steadfast and focused on the Lord.

Another example was the Old Testament patriarch, Abraham. His life demonstrated security. God called Abraham to leave his home in an established city to pursue God’s Promised land. Later on we see Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, because of his faith in God’s promise. Now these might be extreme examples, but they demonstrate to us the character and trustworthiness of God in the midst of uncertainty.There are numerous other examples in Scripture and in each one, they point to the fact that God is the source of true security.

When we focus on God’s promises, it provides an anchor for those who believe them. Hebrews 6:17-18 says, “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.” This passage gives us two truths we can hold on to: God cannot lie therefore we can hold on to the promises He gives us in His Word.

One of the dangers we often fall into is we end up putting our trust in ourselves by being guided by feelings rather than the Word. As all of us have experienced, our feelings change more than the weather in Calgary. Feelings are often based on circumstances. If things are good, God is good. But what if circumstances aren’t good? What then? Is God no longer good?

Unlike feelings, the Bible says God’s Word endures forever. Psalm 119:160 says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” Feelings may change, but God’s promises never do.

I think all of us have heard the saying, “God has a purpose for your life.” There is a truth there but it goes beyond this life. God promises us a life of eternal purpose that goes before and beyond our lives on earth. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul records, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” God planned us for good works before we were created! It puts what we may experience here into perspective.

Now in saying all this, it doesn’t mean we won’t have times where we feel overwhelmed or weak. The truth is, God promises to strengthen us when we feel that way. In the Old Testament, there is the story of Elijah and his battle with the prophets of Baal. After their encounter, he feels discouraged and weak. How does God respond? God sends ravens with food to strengthen his body and meets with him to encourage and strengthen him in his fear.

In the end, it comes back to the promise of His presence with us. We often quote the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 as our “task” in life. The truth is that command is quite overwhelming. But if we read on to the end of verse 20, we discover an amazing truth that undergirds the task: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” With the task comes His promised presence. This same promise applies to our everyday lives.

In the book of Daniel 6, we read the story of a young prophet who’s stand for God put his life in mortal danger. Placed in a den with lions Daniel faced the end of his life on earth. After spending the night with the lions, the king called out to him to see if he was alive. He responded by saying, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not harmed me”.

All of us at one time or another will face circumstances in life that will shake the foundations we stand on. Regardless of what you are experiencing even today, I want you to be encouraged. The promise of God’s presence gives us hope that no matter what we face, the Creator is with us and will walk with us through it. We do that when we build our lives on the foundation of Jesus. In Matthew 7, Jesus tells the story of the person who builds their house on sand and when the storms came up, it crashed. But the person who builds their house on Jesus, the sure foundation, their home stood firm. Insecurities are a reality in our world and lives, but the promise we have is that in God, there is hope which gives us security to face whatever circumstances we face.