September 5, 2023

What If? … So What? … God is Able

Recently, while watching TV, I sat through a “What If” ad.  It’s a type of ad that is sponsored by the medical world.  It infers, ‘What if I’m pre-this or pre-that?’  Arguably, it’s the type of commercial that’s designed to talk you into thinking you are sick.  I thought to myself, ‘So What?’  God is able to deliver!

This type of ad is geared to a large audience who are just sitting there watching; not giving it a thought.  And the next thing you know you’re thinking about being sick or having some kind of condition that needs to be treated, perhaps on a regular basis.

We, as Christian believers do not need those types of distractions.  It’s physically and mentally exhausting and can be a major drain on your brain.  However, there is so much sickness in our world that it must be a successful distraction because it keeps coming around.

As active Christian believers, God’s Word tells us in Romans 8:37, “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.”

“… in all these things…” refers to the nastiness that preceded that verse.

Philippians 4:19 tells us, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

3 John 2 tells us, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”

The world can think what it wants to think, however, Jesus Christ came to deliver us from sin and sickness and he was successful because his Father God made him successful. It was done, once and for all.  Yes, we’re going to get sick from time to time and some things we deal with for quite some time; however, the “What If” mindset doesn’t have to be our mind set.

In Acts 12, Peter had been locked up and was awaiting  probable execution by King Herod.  He could have had the “What If:” or “Oh No” mind set and have had a nervous break while waiting for the morning, but verse 6 tells us that Peter was sleeping between 2 soldiers.  Talk about having a “so what, God can and will deliver” mind set.  I think he was peaceful with God and as we see in the following verses, he was rescued by an angel sent from God.

It didn’t hurt that in verse 5 we read, “…but prayer was made without ceasing  of the church unto God for him.”

When the “what if” syndrome pops up, we’ve always got God on our side.  It does take some ”steel in the guts” sometimes to think that way, but it’s available.

There is part of a prayer that’s in the first chapter of Ephesians: it’s verse 19, “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,” That “mighty power” is always available and it far exceeds the “what if” attitude which is a device of the adversary.

A lot of pressure can come from friends and family who are not believers (and some of them might be) who take in the news and negative advertisements just as if it’s nothing. They take it to heart and then they get in your face with their “What If’s” and so on.  That’s going to happen regardless of whether we put our heads into God’s Word or not. If you don’t want to be affected by that we might do well to adopt the “So What, God can and will deliver” position.

In 2 Kings 4, there is the record of a woman who had extended kindness towards Elisha the man of God at that time. She and her husband had no children.  Elisha wanted to extend a kindness back to her and was told that they were childless.  In verse 16 of that chapter, Elisha told her that God was going to give her a child and it came to pass.  Reading on through the record it shows that the child grows up and at some point becomes very ill and then dies.

When you read the record through, it is obvious that she could have become very angry and discouraged with the situation.  She could have had a form of the “What if” attitude.  However, she went right to the man of God and explained what had happened.  “When asked how things were, she replied in verse 26, “…is it well with the child [the child was dead]? And she answered, it is well.”

She could have been swallowed up in that situation, but she held her ground spiritually, and didn’t allow the circumstances to bring her down.  Elisha went back to her house, received revelation from God, prayed for the child and the child rose from the dead and was delivered to his mother.  It’s a very inspiring record.

There is a lot of negative stimulus out there just waiting to catch your attention.  Much of it is designed to put fear into your life and make you less productive for God.  However, God is bigger than any circumstance we will ever deal with.  The next time, you are faced with a negative “What if”, remember the “So what, God’s got it covered” attitude!

Thanks for reading.  Respectfully submitted!  Will Grove