Two weeks ago I wrote about a U.S. soldier named Adam. I had received an email from his sister that said, "He is vomiting blood and the doctors are not sure why." Adam, 19, had been stationed in Afghanistan when he suddenly began to profusely vomit blood. He was immediately flown to Germany. The bleeding was not caused by a war injury, and the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong. Hence on April 9, he was about to undergo exploratory surgery.

Since that time I have not heard a word from his sister. This has me worried. His sister keeps me updated frequently, yet silence in this instance may not be golden. I therefore plead for your continual prayers on Adam's behalf. It would be awful if something went wrong in the surgery and he lost his life. He is a recent newlywed, and this would no doubt leave his wife devastated. Yet I wonder: How do you handle the unknown?

What races through your mind when your spouse or child is unusually late? The unknown can be horrifying because there is something about knowing that can bring closure to a person's life. Some have said that they would rather know their child is dead than to live for the rest of their life with the fact that they do not know. This type of thought haunts parents of missing children. "Are they alive or are they dead?" Such uncertainties can drive you crazy. You toss them back and forth, and you do not know whether to move on or hope for the best.

Imagine that your wife, who usually comes home from work around 4:30 p.m., is not home by 10 p.m. You have tried her cell phone but no answer. You've called her job and they say, "She has been gone for a while now." What races through your mind? For years the unknown was a huge struggle for me. I used to pray to God that I would rather know, even if it's negative, than not know. I know most of you would agree with that. To know is better than to not know. Yet that anxiety of having to know can drive you crazy. The only solution is to let go of your need to know and trust that God is in control. It is easier said than done, but through prayer God can soothe your spirit and give you peace in the uncertainty. Which is why I patiently wait.

I wait for an update on Adam that will give us more insight into his sufferings. Until then we need to keep hoping for the best, but most importantly keep praying. We need not feel anxious about not knowing, because only God knows all things. Yet what we can do is trust that in His time all things will be made beautiful.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28)

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Gio Marin is an author, currently working on a master of divinity degree at Andrews Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary, with a dual emphasis on systematic theology and church growth & evangelism. Visit For His Glory, the blog, and send an email to {email GioMarinColumn@aol.com}GioMarinColumn@aol.com{/email}. © copyright 2007 by Gio Marin