“Never yield to gloomy anticipation. Place your hope and confidence in God. He has no record of failure.”- Mrs. Charles L. Cowman
What if.
There are so many times in this season of waiting that this question was-is– on the forefront of my brain.
What if the test results came back abnormal?
What if they didn’t?
What if this sickness ends up in the hospital?
What if the girls begin to regress?
What if new medical problems are right around the corner?
What if we never sleep again?
What if we never get answers?
What if we do?
What if, what if, what if?
As I have said many times before, I believe consummation with the things of this world is one of the biggest joy-stealers we need to fight against. It is when we lose sight of heaven that our whats, whatever those whats are, seem large and absolutely in charge. We all do it. It starts with one simple thought and suddenly we have gone down the rabbit trail of story-making and we have determined something as truth that has not an ounce of reality to it. Sometimes, it begins affecting our relationships with those around us, as they are playing a role in our made up stories that they are not even aware they are playing.
Is anyone feeling me?
You see, these what-ifs, while seemingly harmless, formulate anxieties and worries that begin to seep into our spirits and poison our attitudes.
And, have you ever noticed that 9 times out of 10, our what-ifs aren’t exactly positive, easy, or pleasant?
“…and may the Lord do what seems good to Him.”- 1 Chronicles 19:13
While this verse was taken out from the midst of a battle against the Ammonites and the Syrians that the Lord had asked Joab to enter in to, I believe it applies to us as well because getting our hearts to a place in which this is its very cry might just be the thing that dissipates our what ifs altogether.
If we know God is for us, we might not wonder about what’s next so often, for we will know that it is His best.
So often, I believe we are frantic about the future because we are not confident in what God is doing. We don’t feel certain that His plans for us are good and His ways are perfect.
Friends, instead of asking, ‘What if this thing ends this sort of way?’ or, ‘What if this detail occurs in my life?’ , wouldn’t it be freeing to poise this question to the depths of who you are:
What if my God is in absolute control?
What if He has seen all the details of my life and called them good?
What if this story He is writing is for a bigger purpose than simply my comfort?
What if I could begin each morning claiming this as truth and end each day confident He was still sovereign?
What if, what if, what if?
I spent so many years of my life not realizing that victory was available in that very moment; that I didn’t have to wait for my circumstances or emotions to change to begin trusting in the God over all.
Don’t let that be you.
Today, might you stop letting the, ‘what-ifs’ lead your steps and guide your decisions and instead, let the Sovereign God of the universe still your heart and instill truths in your soul that you desperately need to allow to penetrate into the moments of the coming week.
The Personal Growth Challenge is this: I want you to repeat the phrase above, “May the Lord do what seems good to Him” whenever the what-ifs begin to rear their anxious heads. As much as you can remember, might you claim this as true in all the details of your days.
The Communal Challenge is to consciously be aware of conversations with others in which you are analyzing the unknown and attempting to gain knowledge of the future (or just plain what-iffing with a friend); and instead of beating yourself up for it, use that as an opportunity to encourage another to trust God and stop trying to figure out the things we were not yet meant to know. Gently remind a friend that the layers of each of our lives will be unveiled in His perfect timing.
The Pay-It-Forward Challenge involves simply tagging someone who you think might need to read this post, or sending it their way via email or sharing.
May we not allow our minds to soak in the stories we make up in our heads, formulating various scenarios that could possibly happen in order to gain some pseudo-control, and instead, might we fix our eyes on the One who says,
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave or forsake you”- Deuteronomy 31:6
He is with us in all things.
Amen and amen.
Seeds and Leaven 