May 4: Even If

What if my family gets the coronavirus? What if one of my kids dies from it? What if my elderly parents get it and die? Doctor, what do you mean that I need a second breast scan? What if I have breast cancer and my kids are left without a mother? What if...what if…what if…?

It is debilitating to live in the fear of the “what if….” God does not intend for us to live in this fear. He says in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything….” In fact, one of the overarching themes in the Bible is, “Fear Not.”

Look up these verses and you’ll get a taste of God’s message:

• Joshua 1:9 (Do not be frightened.)

• Isaiah 41:10 (Fear not.)

• Matthew 10:31 (Fear not.)

• 2 Timothy 1:7 (God did not give us a spirit of fear.)

God wants us to have fullness of JOY (John 15:11, John 16:24), not the fullness of fear! 

I have learned a little tip to apply God’s command to “fear not,” and this has freed me from the grasp of fear. Here it is: next time you are tempted to think “what if…,” replace the “what if…” with “EVEN IF…” and speak God’s very words back to yourself. 

Let’s try it together: 

• Even if my family gets the coronavirus and one of my kids, or elderly parents, dies from it, God is still loving and just and has not forsaken them or me. Psalm 111:7

• Even if I have breast cancer and die, God has not deserted me. Psalm 22:24

• Even if I feel sad and depressed at the state of the suffering in the world, God loves us so much that He died so we can live in complete joy with Him in heaven. John 3:16, Psalm 16:11

Now try it on your own! Replace “what if…” with “EVEN IF….” And remember His goodness and how He wants us to have His full joy!

God, we praise you for offering us your peace

which transcends all understanding (Phil 4:7),

and we embrace freedom from fear.

Amen

Shelter in Peace,

Susan Wong