This week, I read with surprise the news of the political uncertainty in Myanmar, where a state of emergency has been declared following a takeover by the country’s military.

My heart and prayers go to my Myanmar brothers and sisters who are now working and living in Singapore. With telephone and Internet communication services in Myanmar disrupted, many of them have not been able to keep in contact with their loved ones back home, and are worried for their health and safety.

This must add much to their anxiety and fears. As it is, many of them have not been able to travel home for many months, because of Covid-19 restrictions. This has itself been worrying, as Myanmar has been hit badly by the coronavirus, with at least 140,000 confirmed cases and more than 3,000 deaths.

Now, with the latest uncertainty added to the worries, my friends from Myanmar must surely be wondering what the future holds for them.

Indeed, it is a question that many of us have been asking, ever since the Covid-19 pandemic brought us so much uncertainty and raised fears about the future.

No wonder James described our lives as fleeting and temporal:

You who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city,
spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life? You are a mist
that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
(James 4:13–14)

Indeed, seeing what is happening in the world, the uncertainty of life has become more evident to me these days. I am reminded not to place my confidence in what I have personally—or in Singapore. Though many of us here do enjoy our country’s economic wealth, security, and stability, I know that these, too, could quickly change and be taken away from us.

It is wiser to entrust our future to the Lord. We need to depend on God and not the world to define our purpose, our plans, and our security. For it is God alone who holds the future… and who holds our hands:

In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps.
(Proverbs 16:9)

Father, though I am surrounded by uncertainty,
I know I can look to You for true security.
Though I may not understand what is happening around me,
I know I can trust in You,
for my future is in Your loving hands.