We’re now nearing the end of June, which means that in a few days, we’re entering the second half of 2020. It feels surreal how the days went by just like that—most of which were spent inside the four corners of our homes.

By this time, most of you would’ve already started a new school year. Others would’ve been building new friendships in a new campus, while others would’ve been excited to reunite with their OG friends.

But we’re stuck inside our homes, unsure of how our lives will look like in the coming months.

Ano na? Kailan ba matatapos ‘to?

Because of COVID-19, any semblance of a plan has been thrown out the window. The situation is so volatile that everything can change in a matter of seconds. Each day, we’re faced with uncertainties about what’s going to happen. It only takes a statement from any government official or a social media post to trigger major changes in our lives.

We really live in difficult times.

For students, you’re faced with unimaginable challenges, such as financial constraints, emotional struggles, mental health concerns, or the thought of having classes online for an entire semester or even a whole school year. These are too much to bear all at the same time.

As the world groans for the elusive cure for COVID-19, we are at a standstill. Until a vaccine is developed, we will remain stuck in our homes. Life will continue to be in limbo, and we will always struggle to find answers that will give us security and stability.

What will my life look like in the coming months?
Should I enroll or not?
What does the future hold for me?
When will this pandemic end?
Will things go back to normal after this pandemic?

If you’ve ever asked these questions, then you’re among the thousands, if not millions, of people who’ve been searching for certainty in the midst of this difficult season.

We may never know the answers to these questions, but we can find hope in this truth:

God is our refuge and strength,

A very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change

And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;

Though its waters roar and foam,

Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

Psalm 46:1–3 (NASB) 

While thinking of our current situation, I was led to this passage and found it very comforting.

Not one of us is exempted from worry and anxiety. I myself have my own share of troubled thoughts brought by the instability and uncertainty of our situation. Just like the psalmist says, everything on this earth may change, yet even when the most incomprehensible things happen, God is still our refuge and strength—an ever present help in time of need.

Even when our plans don’t materialize, we know that God’s plans and ways are always higher and better than ours.

Even when everything is on a downward spiral, we know that God will be there to rescue us and lift us up.

Even when we face dead ends, we know that God can turn things around and set us on a new direction toward His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Even when we’re stuck in an ugly season and don’t know what the future holds, we know that God Himself will meet us where we are and carry us through.

We may not be able to look past our present situation, but we can trust that God will see us through in every season. 

We may have countless whys and hows right now, but all these questions will be silenced when we know the answer to “Who.”

Who is in control?
Who holds my future?
Who is my hope?

God—He is the ultimate answer; the only truth that will pacify our anxious hearts.

He is the only one that is sure in a world full of uncertainties. Are you willing to trust Him? To actively listen and obey when it feels like everything else is on pause? 

There is never any limbo in God. He is working, even in our uncertainties.