I have been hearing a lot of sad stories lately. So many people going through so many hard times. Unfortunately, that is the world we live in. We do not live in a perfect happy world. We live in a fallen world where bad things can happen. However, even amid these dark times, we have a God who is always by our side. He is our shoulder to cry on, our ever-present comfort.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

            I know that it is hard to remain faithful when everything around you seems to be crashing down. It’s hard to remain in joy when you receive bad news. However, when we give our lives to Christ, we need to learn how to develop an “Even If” attitude. In the Bible we can find countless examples of people who developed this kind of attitude. There is Daniel, Joseph, Job, Steven, Paul, and countless others. Even Jesus Himself had an “Even If” attitude in His last moments.

“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will… Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” – Matthew 26:39, 42

            Even for Jesus it was not easy. He was human, just like us. He knew that His time was coming and that it would be one of the worst things a person could go through. Nevertheless, He knew that it was necessary for Him to go through all that physical, emotional, and spiritual pain to save all mankind. Now, we are no where near the perfection of Christ, but we are told to follow His example. While there will be times when we still question God (as others in the Bible have done before us), in the end, we need to rely on our faith in Christ and say, “even if the worst happens, I will still glorify you God”.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

            A story that my husband and I discussed in our Bible study last night was the story of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (aka Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-Nego). For those of you wondering why I call them Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, it is because the other names were ones given to them by the chiefs of the eunuchs (you can find that in Daniel 1:7). Anyways, these three men we sentenced to death for refusing to worship an idol that the king had created. They knew that to do so would be going against God’s commandment to not have any other gods but Him. When the time came to be through into the fiery furnace, rather than beg for their lives, they replied to the king saying this…

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” – Daniel 3:16-18

            In other words, they said, “Our God will save us from the fire and will keep us safe from you. And even if He doesn’t, we will continue to remain faithful to our God”. These men were facing death, a very painful and agonizing death mind you, and still they remained faithful to God. That is the kind of faith we need to have. That is the kind of faith we need to pray for and need to strive towards every day.

            In my personal life the biggest thing that I have had to lay in God’s hands is my soon to be born sons diagnosis of bilateral club feet. Granted, it is not life threatening and it is something that can be medically fixed. However, as weird as it may sound, I have always loved babies’ feet. How tiny they are and how cute their little toes look. I’ve always fantasized buying my babies their first pair of really nice shoes. Well, with this diagnosis, that dream went away. His feet would more than likely not be in any condition to wear normal shoes for a long while. Aside from that, hearing that this would possibly be a burden my son will need to live with for the rest of his life was disheartening.

            It took me some time, but I am finally in a place where I can say, “Even If”. I believe in a God who heals. We see so many stories of Jesus healing so many people in the Bible. In my own lifetime, I have seen how God heals. Therefore, I always pray that God heal my little one’s feet. That He prove the doctors wrong who say that this is something that cannot be healed without their medical expertise. I have faith that God can do it. However, even if my baby is still born with bilateral club feet, I know that God has a purpose for it all. I know that He will give my son the strength he needs to overcome this burden. I know that this will not only make him stronger, but it will be a part of his testimony when he grows up. I trust in my God and know that He has a plan for us.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11

            I know some of you out there are going through your own struggles or know of someone who is struggling. Don’t lose hope. There is always hope. Keep your faith in God. Do not stop praying because you think that He can’t hear you or that He is ignoring you. He is not ignoring you and He does hear you. We are told to pray without ceasing and to make our needs known to God. He will answer you in His time. Have faith in Him. And even if you don’t receive the answer you were hoping for, know that He has not abandoned you. Know that there is a reason for everything that happens. We need to grow in our faith to develop that “Even If” attitude. As for me, I know that even if things aren’t always the way that I would hope they would be, I will continue to worship God for He has not ceased to be faithful.

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” – Isaiah 43:2