Hello Everyone,
When the “what if” question is whispered into our spiritual ears, Jesus always answers “I’ve got this”. Lurking below the surface of the “what if” question is doubt and fear. Doubt calls into question the truth and fear anticipates the worst possible outcomes. Both exclude God’s ability to impact our circumstances. The enemy regularly takes these two vicious “dogs” for a walk in the shadowy park of life, unleashing them to prowl around and prey on vulnerable people, hungry to sink their teeth in to get a grip. If we stay too long in this shadowy park, there is another “dog” that gnarls and bears its teeth called despair. Despair declares there is no hope. Yet there is one thing about the shadowy park; it is but shadows and the “what if” bite of the dog is only real if we let it bite. But when we turn and face the real master, He whispers, “I’ve got this” and He walks us through and eventually out of the shadowy park and into the light.
We live in a broken world and encounter pain and suffering. Doubt and fear can get a grip. CS Lewis noted that we can trust God and not necessarily doubt Him, but fear can be birthed when we begin to wonder how painful the process of coming into God’s best may turn out to be. Herein lies the tension of living a life of faith that drives doubt back to truth and fear into faith. God is truth and faith rests in the truth of who God is. God is not surprised or offended by our “what if” questions. He understands our fears. But He calls us to stand firm in our faith and not to doubt His declaration, “I’ve got this” (1 Corinthians 15:58). When God says “I’ve got this”, it does not mean that we have a painless passage through life. What it does mean is that God is faithful and He will bring good out of what is poised to harm us. Our role is to acknowledge the doubts and fears, and (in Jesus Name) bind their capacity to bite us and lead us to despair. We intentionally place our faith in God by embracing what we know to be true about Him. The focus is God and not our ability to muster up enough faith to extinguish doubt and fear. What frames our perspective is the faithfulness of God. If God is exactly who he says He is and is perfectly wise and good, that is the landing pad for faith. This journey is not always easy but when we realise God loves us perfectly, then fear is expelled (1 John 4:18). No matter what, God will ever so kindly take our “what if” questions, gently hold them at His heart and with the greatest compassion, whisper back “I’ve got this”.
So, friends, get your “Jesus has got this” on today.
Best days to come
Wen