Unsure but Secure - Reflect on Job 12:10

Job 12:10 — “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all the human race.” 

We live in a time when there’s just too much going on. The influx of materials, messages, and resources is so massive that there’s little time to process all that we’re taking in. As if managing our own lives is not preoccupying enough, technology constantly exposes us to what’s happening in other people’s lives and around the world.

We are like a ball rolling endlessly, with no chance to pause, reflect, or assess. Things cling to us along the way, and we rarely stop to evaluate what we should keep and what we should shake off. There’s an endless stream of activity and constant noise.

Meditation and reflection have become lost arts. We can hardly sit still and focus on one thing with full attention. Concentration is fragile. We can’t stay present with what we’re watching or reading. We can’t fully listen to the person in front of us. Our minds are fragmented, our hearts distracted, and our souls are restless.

And how much more difficult it becomes when we try to commune with God. The enemy has done a great job—keeping us constantly adrift on a wave of motion, drifting further unless we make a deliberate effort to paddle back toward Him.

Every day, the commotion pulls us a little farther away, and we rarely check whether our anchors are still in place—and if they’re still clamped, where they need to be.

Why Do We Strive?

Why do we strive? What is all this for? What are we on about? We labor to do and to become—but to what end? We acquire and achieve—for what purpose? These questions whisper in our rare quiet moments, yet we seldom linger long enough to answer them.

Where is the balance in our goals and pursuits? Where does our striving remain reasonable and righteous? As Christians, how do we live life to the fullest without falling into worldliness and materialism?

Have we lost the skill of simplicity? Are we no longer able to choose what truly matters? Have we lost the discernment and resolve to let go of what only clutters the heart?

Have we lost the ability to tell the difference between contentment and complacency? Or, in our striving, do we sometimes disguise covetousness as hard work. We must remember that pursuits are healthy if they align with our purpose. The focus is on yourself and growing to your potential. It’s not about comparing yourself with others and becoming like them.

We must also remember that contentment is crucial to our joy but complacency destroys our future. We must always be grateful and appreciative of what we have, yet open to growth. And in our pursuit to grow, we need to be hardworking, but not covetous, driven but not envious. 

We must learn when to be sensibly active and when to be strategically inactive; balancing correctly the scales of action and rest.

Too often, we chase after goals not because they align with God’s design for our lives, but because we’re lost in our own opinions or we’ve seen what others have and believe we must have the same. In the process, we lose sight of our uniqueness and purpose, and we lose our peace and our perspective.

The Foundational Truth

Perhaps we begin by paying attention to this primary truth: “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” (Job 12:10)

This is a fundamental reality that we need to remain aware of. And as we make ourselves aware of this fact, our minds are enlightened to connected realities that we often ignore or dismiss thoughtlessly.

We Are Created

We did not will ourselves to being. We are here because of a Creator. And every creation was created for a reason. There is a reason we are here. Genesis 1:26–28 states that man was created to fill and manage the earth. We are placed here on earth to enjoy it and to be responsible for it. That right there should simplify life for us. Life is meant to be enjoyed and life must be lived responsibly.

As a Christian, that narrows down what we should allow ourselves to do. That also gives us every reason to be happy in this life. Existing is not meant to be a burden but an exciting experience.

We Are Sustained

Reflecting on this truth often will lift a heavy burden off of our minds and hearts. Knowing that I am not in charge of my own survival is relieving. Knowing that the One that sustains me is reliable is even better. The all-powerful and all-loving God who has and is my life gives me unshakeable security that whatever happens, I know I will live it through because He knows me inside out and His perfect will has designed my beginning and my end.

• Acts 17:28 — “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”

We Are Protected

In His hand is the breath I take and in His hand I am found and kept. Jesus, part of the Triune God, declared that no one can pluck me out of His hand. (John 10:28–29) Not even I can take myself out of His protective and safe hand. This means that whatever supernatural forces may be against the people of God, I will be preserved for as long as there remains a purpose for me to be on this earth.

This also means that whatever challenges face fallen people in a fallen world, I will overcome. The Protector has guaranteed my victory as I abide in the One who makes me victorious. 

• Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
• 1 John 4:4 — “Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
• 1 John 5:4 — “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

Anchored Living in Today’s World

It’s challenging to become a young person in today’s world. They are always having to cope, compare, or compete. Anxiety is high among teenagers and young adults more than ever. And if they keep their eyes on what’s outward and earthly, they will fail to live a joyful, content, positive, yet thriving life.

More than ever, Christians need to stay anchored to their relationship with God and in their identity in Christ. This is key to finding yourself and keeping yourself unspotted and undamaged by this world.

It’s easy to say that we are not of this world and that this is not our home. But by our actions, the way we live, pursue, and prioritize, this truth doesn’t always show. We spend and expend ourselves as if this world is it. Life becomes a blur and you find yourself one year later with few recollections of what happened in between.

When this happens, you’ve lost sight of the precious memories, the important blessings, the crucial lessons learned. You failed to observe the God you call your Father. You failed to realize how He’s been working things out for your good. You’ve lost the direction He was lovingly setting you on.

So how do you anchor yourself?

Worship the Creator

Life tends to get busier and busier and the first thing that often suffers is our spiritual life. We miss out on reading and meditation of God’s Words so we don’t often get insight into His mind and heart. We miss out on personal and Sunday worship so we don’t often get to just be present with God and worship Him through song and communion with Him.

When was the last time you just sat and stilled your body, mind, and heart in order to pause, reflect, acknowledge, and thank God for all that He magnificently is and for all that He wonderfully accomplishes in your life?

We need more moments with the Father. We need to quiet our souls, turn down the noise and let the Spirit communicate with us. Often, we make this life about us but it’s not. It’s not really about you, it’s about the God who caused you to be and keeps you alive, and brings abundance into your life.

Place yourself in God’s presence. Stay there. Worship. Thank. Praise. Love. Listen. Yield. Surrender. Want nothing else.

• Matthew 5:3 — “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Rely on the Sustainer

Stop fretting. Stop being anxious. Pray. Give all your worries over. Philippians 4:6 — “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Understand and respect the capacity and capability of the Sustainer. He’ll never fail you yet. His grace is sufficient for you. Even in weakness, He will show up to prove enough. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

In every day’s obligations, He will meet your need. Philippians 4:19 — “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Sufficient to the day is the worries thereof.

Matthew 6:34 — “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Depend on Him today.

Trust the Protector

Release the welfare and outcome of your life to God. Let Him manage your affairs. Give Him rein and authority—He will not leave you unprotected or vulnerable. He is your shield. He is your refuge. He is a strong tower for you to run to.

• Psalm 46:1 — “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”

Let His Words soak in. Believe Him when He says who He is.

• Proverbs 18:10 — “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”

Stay Spiritually Conscious!

Retain Job 12:10 in your consciousness today. Keep this foundational truth above the noise and busyness of life. Let it anchor your soul. Maintain the awareness that your life and breath are in God’s hand—it will keep you tied to your foundations no matter where the tides direct you. Winds may change, seasons may shift, and circumstances may unsettle, but your footing will remain firm. Because what steadies you is not your control over life, but your confidence in the One who holds it. When you remember whose hand sustains you, peace will no longer depend on clarity, and security will no longer depend on certainty. You will find yourself unsure at times—but always secure.

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