I recently read an article that truly ministered to my soul and got me thinking. The article is entitled, “What if the Worst Happens?” by Vaneetha Rendall (http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/176480-vaneetha-rendall-the-worst-happens.html?p=1).
We all go through the “what-ifs,” don’t we? I meet people all the time who go through the “what-ifs.” I’ve been there myself—even recently.
It goes something like this:
· “What if I lose my job?”
· “What if my daughter rebels?”
· “What if they can’t make payroll?”
· “What if my spouse has had enough?”
· “What if we lose our home—where will we live?”
· “What if I get cancer?”
I’ve heard all these “what-ifs.” I assume you can probably add to the list.
Ms. Rendall mentions several “what-if” conversations in the Scriptures:
Abraham’s servant, Eliezer asks, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?” when Abraham sends him to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:5, NIV).
Joseph’s brothers ask, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” when they return to Egypt (Genesis 50:15, NIV).
Moses asks, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” when the Lord instructs him at the burning bush.
Ms. Rendall shares that these “what-if” questions are the wrong ones to ask. Instead of asking the “what-if” questions, we need to learn to make “even-if” statements.
She uses the example of three men who were about to be thrown into a Babylonian furnace. I think you know the story. Listen to the words that these three men uttered before they were thrown in (I imagine them all saying these words in unison): “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
We know the end of the story. We know the three men were delivered by God. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t know what was going to happen. They knew God was able to deliver them, but in complete faith, they said, “even if he does not…”
They would trust God even if they were burnt to a crisp. It’s the same faith we see in God’s servant Job who is suffering more than any human being has probably suffered on the face of this earth. In the midst of that suffering, we see an Even If faith: “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him… (Job 13:15)”
I agree with Ms. Rendall: “God doesn’t promise us a trouble-free life. But he does promise that he will be there in the midst of our sorrows.”
Listen, sometimes the worst is going to happen. Believe me, I know. I’ve experienced it and I hear about it all the time in my ministry over the years.
I suppose the apostle Paul could have put it this way: “What if God doesn’t remove my thorn in the flesh?” But Paul was an “even if” man of faith: “Even if God doesn’t remove this messenger from Satan, his grace is sufficient for me!” (see 2 Corinthians 12).
I know it’s difficult, but shouldn’t we try and turn those statements around?
How about something like this?
· “Even if I lose my job, I will trust in God and wait on him.”
· “Even if my daughter rebels, I will not stop praying for her and waiting for her to return.”
· “Even if they can’t make payroll, I will remember that God will provide all my needs, even when I have no clue how that will happen.”
· “Even if my spouse has had enough, I will listen without anger, and seek help for both of us.”
· “Even if we’re forced out of our home, I know that God has the right place for us and I will cast all our cares on him.”
· “Even if I get cancer, I will still praise him.”
Sounds a bit too simplistic, doesn’t it? Well, only one who is going through the deep waters of the “what-ifs” can truly ask God to help him or her navigate through the calm (yes, calm) waters of the “even-ifs.” I know. I can testify to that even now.
Again, please read the words of Ms. Rendall: “The uncomfortable truth is, any of those things could happen. No one is free from tragedy or pain. There are no guarantees of an easy life. For any of us. Ever”.
Jesus didn’t call us to carry a hammock, but a cross. We are to share in his sufferings. And that sometimes means the worst will happen. But he is our Emmanuel—God with us! That’s where our comfort rests.
This is how Ms. Rendall concludes her article:
Even if.
Those two simple words have taken the fear out of life. Replacing “what if” with “even if” is one of the most liberating exchanges we can ever make. We trade our irrational fears of an uncertain future for the loving assurance of an unchanging God. We see that even if the worst happens, God will carry us. He will still be good. And he will never leave us.
“Even if the worst happens, God will carry us.”
Amen and Amen!
We all go through the “what-ifs,” don’t we? I meet people all the time who go through the “what-ifs.” I’ve been there myself—even recently.
It goes something like this:
· “What if I lose my job?”
· “What if my daughter rebels?”
· “What if they can’t make payroll?”
· “What if my spouse has had enough?”
· “What if we lose our home—where will we live?”
· “What if I get cancer?”
I’ve heard all these “what-ifs.” I assume you can probably add to the list.
Ms. Rendall mentions several “what-if” conversations in the Scriptures:
Abraham’s servant, Eliezer asks, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?” when Abraham sends him to find a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:5, NIV).
Joseph’s brothers ask, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” when they return to Egypt (Genesis 50:15, NIV).
Moses asks, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” when the Lord instructs him at the burning bush.
Ms. Rendall shares that these “what-if” questions are the wrong ones to ask. Instead of asking the “what-if” questions, we need to learn to make “even-if” statements.
She uses the example of three men who were about to be thrown into a Babylonian furnace. I think you know the story. Listen to the words that these three men uttered before they were thrown in (I imagine them all saying these words in unison): “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:17-18)
We know the end of the story. We know the three men were delivered by God. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t know what was going to happen. They knew God was able to deliver them, but in complete faith, they said, “even if he does not…”
They would trust God even if they were burnt to a crisp. It’s the same faith we see in God’s servant Job who is suffering more than any human being has probably suffered on the face of this earth. In the midst of that suffering, we see an Even If faith: “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him… (Job 13:15)”
I agree with Ms. Rendall: “God doesn’t promise us a trouble-free life. But he does promise that he will be there in the midst of our sorrows.”
Listen, sometimes the worst is going to happen. Believe me, I know. I’ve experienced it and I hear about it all the time in my ministry over the years.
I suppose the apostle Paul could have put it this way: “What if God doesn’t remove my thorn in the flesh?” But Paul was an “even if” man of faith: “Even if God doesn’t remove this messenger from Satan, his grace is sufficient for me!” (see 2 Corinthians 12).
I know it’s difficult, but shouldn’t we try and turn those statements around?
How about something like this?
· “Even if I lose my job, I will trust in God and wait on him.”
· “Even if my daughter rebels, I will not stop praying for her and waiting for her to return.”
· “Even if they can’t make payroll, I will remember that God will provide all my needs, even when I have no clue how that will happen.”
· “Even if my spouse has had enough, I will listen without anger, and seek help for both of us.”
· “Even if we’re forced out of our home, I know that God has the right place for us and I will cast all our cares on him.”
· “Even if I get cancer, I will still praise him.”
Sounds a bit too simplistic, doesn’t it? Well, only one who is going through the deep waters of the “what-ifs” can truly ask God to help him or her navigate through the calm (yes, calm) waters of the “even-ifs.” I know. I can testify to that even now.
Again, please read the words of Ms. Rendall: “The uncomfortable truth is, any of those things could happen. No one is free from tragedy or pain. There are no guarantees of an easy life. For any of us. Ever”.
Jesus didn’t call us to carry a hammock, but a cross. We are to share in his sufferings. And that sometimes means the worst will happen. But he is our Emmanuel—God with us! That’s where our comfort rests.
This is how Ms. Rendall concludes her article:
Even if.
Those two simple words have taken the fear out of life. Replacing “what if” with “even if” is one of the most liberating exchanges we can ever make. We trade our irrational fears of an uncertain future for the loving assurance of an unchanging God. We see that even if the worst happens, God will carry us. He will still be good. And he will never leave us.
“Even if the worst happens, God will carry us.”
Amen and Amen!
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