"What if" is a phrase that can ruin ones life. Living your life based on what might happen is the equivalent to not living your life at all.
Life is the here and now, the known and known not knowns (i.e.: a job you have but you don’t know which technical glitch will happen next.) “What if” is like asking a gypsy for your fortune.
I don’t want to move- because what if something happens to my family. I can’t be a missionary, what if there’s a man that I might miss if I go? I can’t give sacrificially, what if I run out of money?
Do you realize there really isn’t one valid “What if” question out there? Hold up, wait- okay so there are only two valid what ifs- what if I died today – what would count? And, what if Jesus asked me why should I let you in heaven? Okay- so, besides those two- there are no valid ones left.
If God in His ultimate wisdom asks you to do something and you respond with a “What if”- what does that say to God? It says he’s stupid and doesn’t know what you might miss.
Have you read the book of Ezekiel? Have you read the commands of God in the first three chapters? Let me help you out by showing you a few…(No, these aren’t even close to them all)
Stand to your feet and I will speak to you (2:1)
I am sending you to a stubborn and obstinate nation- Israel (2:3)
Do not be afraid of them or their words- umm… just how bad were these guys?(2:4)
Do not be afraid though briers, thorns and scorpions live all around you- oh!(2:6)
You must speak My words to them whether they listen or not (2:11)
You must speak my words of warning, for if one should die because you did not warn him of my anger then I will hold you accountable to his blood. (3:18)
… Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to beat their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin- 390 days you will bear their sin of the house of Israel. (4:1-5)
Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt- put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for you. You are to eat (about 8 oz. worth) it during the 390 days and (4:6-12)
You will bake your bread over cow manure…(4:15)
Honestly, how do you think Ezekiel’s life would have ended if when God commanded these things Ezekiel came back with “what if I get a cramp?” “What if I die of starvation?” I wonder- would we even have the book of Ezekiel?
For that matter- look at all the hero’s of the faith; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, David, and of course Jesus. These men knew what God was asking of them and they didn’t respond with a “what if” scenario. Not one was perfect- except of course Jesus who was the Son of God- But every one of them had a huge challenge from God and if in their fear or in the moments of frailty they had asked what if- I’m sure the Bible would look a little different.
My point? Why do we as Christians today think that we are so much better than the hero’s of our faith, that we can and do ask the what ifs before we say “Here am I, send me!” (Is. 6)
Where do we get our nerve to question the creator of all things, including our life and the thing he has called us to? Who says that we can say I can’t because of a “What if”? God knows all the "What ifs" and all the equations of our lives. Do you really think that he would ask a question without knowing the answer? Do you think that he forgot about something?
He’s been holding the universe together since before man. I don’t think he’s using a post-it note system for reminders.
He knows every tear you’ve cried, He counts the hairs on your head, and He loves you with an everlasting love- an unstoppable, unquenchable, unconditional love. Since your Father loves you in such this way- Do you really think He’d ask you to do something that wasn’t in your best interest?
“What if” is a slap in God’s face. He knows everything about you, your world, your life- He will not let the right “What ifs” pass you by. Nor will the wrong “What ifs” come your way.
So, here’s the basic question- Do you TRUST GOD with your “What ifs”? Do you trust God? Do you trust Him with everything? Truth is you either trust Him with everything- all of your heart or you don’t trust Him at all.
Webster’s defines trust as a firm belief in the honesty, reliability of another; a confident expectation, hope; to commit to a person’s care; to allow someone to do something without misgivings.
This is a description of your relationship with Christ. Most of the time we read Proverbs 3:5-6 and we assume that trusting God with all your heart means – trusting God with this particular situation. All your heart- every situation- every time, all the time. Do you have a firm belief in the honesty and reliability of God? Do you have a confident expectation of what He is going to do? Do you have confidence in Him? Do you commit things to His care? Including your heart? Do you allow Him to do things in your life without misgivings?
One final thing- What if is a natural thought, or so I find… but if it is our only response in the course of following Jesus, then trust is gone and fear is leader. When was the last time you asked “What if”?
Life is the here and now, the known and known not knowns (i.e.: a job you have but you don’t know which technical glitch will happen next.) “What if” is like asking a gypsy for your fortune.
I don’t want to move- because what if something happens to my family. I can’t be a missionary, what if there’s a man that I might miss if I go? I can’t give sacrificially, what if I run out of money?
Do you realize there really isn’t one valid “What if” question out there? Hold up, wait- okay so there are only two valid what ifs- what if I died today – what would count? And, what if Jesus asked me why should I let you in heaven? Okay- so, besides those two- there are no valid ones left.
If God in His ultimate wisdom asks you to do something and you respond with a “What if”- what does that say to God? It says he’s stupid and doesn’t know what you might miss.
Have you read the book of Ezekiel? Have you read the commands of God in the first three chapters? Let me help you out by showing you a few…(No, these aren’t even close to them all)
Stand to your feet and I will speak to you (2:1)
I am sending you to a stubborn and obstinate nation- Israel (2:3)
Do not be afraid of them or their words- umm… just how bad were these guys?(2:4)
Do not be afraid though briers, thorns and scorpions live all around you- oh!(2:6)
You must speak My words to them whether they listen or not (2:11)
You must speak my words of warning, for if one should die because you did not warn him of my anger then I will hold you accountable to his blood. (3:18)
… Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the house of Israel upon yourself. You are to beat their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin- 390 days you will bear their sin of the house of Israel. (4:1-5)
Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt- put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for you. You are to eat (about 8 oz. worth) it during the 390 days and (4:6-12)
You will bake your bread over cow manure…(4:15)
Honestly, how do you think Ezekiel’s life would have ended if when God commanded these things Ezekiel came back with “what if I get a cramp?” “What if I die of starvation?” I wonder- would we even have the book of Ezekiel?
For that matter- look at all the hero’s of the faith; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Job, David, and of course Jesus. These men knew what God was asking of them and they didn’t respond with a “what if” scenario. Not one was perfect- except of course Jesus who was the Son of God- But every one of them had a huge challenge from God and if in their fear or in the moments of frailty they had asked what if- I’m sure the Bible would look a little different.
My point? Why do we as Christians today think that we are so much better than the hero’s of our faith, that we can and do ask the what ifs before we say “Here am I, send me!” (Is. 6)
Where do we get our nerve to question the creator of all things, including our life and the thing he has called us to? Who says that we can say I can’t because of a “What if”? God knows all the "What ifs" and all the equations of our lives. Do you really think that he would ask a question without knowing the answer? Do you think that he forgot about something?
He’s been holding the universe together since before man. I don’t think he’s using a post-it note system for reminders.
He knows every tear you’ve cried, He counts the hairs on your head, and He loves you with an everlasting love- an unstoppable, unquenchable, unconditional love. Since your Father loves you in such this way- Do you really think He’d ask you to do something that wasn’t in your best interest?
“What if” is a slap in God’s face. He knows everything about you, your world, your life- He will not let the right “What ifs” pass you by. Nor will the wrong “What ifs” come your way.
So, here’s the basic question- Do you TRUST GOD with your “What ifs”? Do you trust God? Do you trust Him with everything? Truth is you either trust Him with everything- all of your heart or you don’t trust Him at all.
Webster’s defines trust as a firm belief in the honesty, reliability of another; a confident expectation, hope; to commit to a person’s care; to allow someone to do something without misgivings.
This is a description of your relationship with Christ. Most of the time we read Proverbs 3:5-6 and we assume that trusting God with all your heart means – trusting God with this particular situation. All your heart- every situation- every time, all the time. Do you have a firm belief in the honesty and reliability of God? Do you have a confident expectation of what He is going to do? Do you have confidence in Him? Do you commit things to His care? Including your heart? Do you allow Him to do things in your life without misgivings?
One final thing- What if is a natural thought, or so I find… but if it is our only response in the course of following Jesus, then trust is gone and fear is leader. When was the last time you asked “What if”?
M. Ruth Smith
2005
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