“What If” or “Even If”?

Why is it easier to focus on the negative? On every fear-inducing “what if”?

Yes, the world can be a scary place . . . and it shows no sign of improving. Of course, it doesn’t help that my default reaction is to ask, What if things get worse?

Perhaps you can relate:

• What if the medical test reveals a health crisis?
• What if my prodigal never returns?
• What if we can’t pay our bills?
• What if this broken relationship is not restored?

Anxiety can rush in like a tsunami, overwhelming everything in its path. And on more than one occasion, I’ve allowed myself to be carried along as fear washes over me and I imagine the worst.

But God

As a child of God through faith in Christ, these two words, “but God,” change everything. My friend Patricia Durgin, of Marketers on a Mission, puts it this way: “Let’s not give more credence to what might happen than to what God’s already promised would happen.”

God is faithful and sovereign. He is compassionate and faithful. And because He is faithful, we can trust His promises.

Still, here’s where it gets a bit tricky. God did not promise we’ll never have trouble. Jesus stated just the opposite. He told His disciples “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NIV).

Our heavenly Father does not leave us alone in the midst of our troubles. By the power of His Holy Spirit, He holds on to us when we lack the strength to hold on to Him.

Even If

After my husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer, my most desperate what ifs materialized. As he approached the end of his life, we had two choices in how to respond to our broken circumstances. We could have allowed bitterness to swallow us because God did not bring physical healing. Or we could rest in God’s fulfilled promise of the permanent, eternal healing He did provide. “Even If” by the Christian band, MercyMe, became our theme song. Even if God allowed the cancer to progress, we knew He was our only source of eternal hope and worthy of our unceasing worship.

“Even if” is not always my instinctive response . . . but I’m getting there. And each time I’m reminded of how broken and sin-sick our world is, I have another opportunity to shift my gaze from “what if” to “even if.”

What are you experiencing today that requires a “but God” perspective?

How are you being reminded to shift your gaze from your situation to your Savior and from “what if?” to “even if”?