The If...Then Challenge
One thing that remains unequivocally certain in life, especially as followers of Christ, is that we will encounter adversity. Early in my walk with God, I mistakenly believed that surrendering my life to Christ rendered me exempt from hardship. I viewed salvation as my personal passage into “the good life.” Yet as my communion with the Lord deepened and spiritual maturity began to germinate within me, my perspective underwent a profound transformation.
I came to understand that the “good life” is not the absence of problems. Rather, it is the sacred privilege of experiencing God’s faithfulness tangibly and intimately amid life’s adversities.
In the Book of Numbers chapter 13, God instructed Moses to send twelve spies into Canaan, the land He had already promised to Israel. The Lord had declared the land to be fertile, abundant, and exceedingly good. Yet God often permits us to glimpse the promise before possessing it, cultivating within us a holy appetite and resolute faith to actively pursue what He has ordained, for faith without works is dead.
Moses instructed the spies to survey the land and return with evidence of its fruitfulness. When they returned, they carried a cluster of grapes so massive that it required two men to bear it upon a pole. The land was exactly as God had proclaimed. Its abundance confirmed His Word. Yet there was also an intimidating reality: giants inhabited the land.
Instead of allowing the challenge to fortify their faith, most of the spies became preoccupied with the obstacle and gave in to fear. They fixated on the enormity of the giants and lost sight of the magnificence of God’s promise. Yet if God’s declaration concerning the goodness of the land was trustworthy, why should the remainder of His promise be regarded with skepticism?
Caleb and Joshua discerned the assignment differently. They embraced the challenge with audacious faith. Their perspective was unwavering: If the land is truly good, then surely God will empower us to possess it. I call this the “If…Then Challenge.”
That same truth resonates in our lives today. If God did not withhold His own Son, then surely, He will remain faithful to every promise contained within His Word and complete His perfect work in our lives.
Several months ago, I experienced this principle personally when my vehicle required extensive repairs. I thanked God for my extended warranty because the expenses far exceeded what I desired to furnish. However, complications soon emerged. The warranty company delayed approving the claim, leaving me without transportation for weeks.
Although the dealership initially asserted that no loaner vehicles were available, one suddenly became accessible to me without me even requesting it. What I did not know was that a massive snowstorm would strike our area just two days later. This, too, was the goodness of God, because the vehicle my family was using could not withstand the storm. Without the loaner vehicle, we would have been stranded for weeks.
What first appeared to be a victory quickly shifted into another challenge. Shortly thereafter, the warranty company denied my claim altogether and even rescinded my contract due to missing maintenance records.
In that moment, I went before my Adonai Yireh and prayed, “Lord, if You granted me favor for a loaner vehicle I did not even request, before I even knew I would need it, then surely You will see my need now and provide a resolution to this situation.”
And He did. My contract was reinstated, the claim was approved, and my vehicle was fully repaired.
Within every challenge lies an “if” that can anchor your faith and a “then” that can sustain your expectancy. May we possess the unwavering faith and spiritual fortitude of Caleb and Joshua—believing not only in the “if” of God’s promise, but also in the inevitable “then.”
May our thoughts, in seasons when challenges lead to depression, doubt, and anxiety, be: If God was faithful then, He remains faithful now.
I came to understand that the “good life” is not the absence of problems. Rather, it is the sacred privilege of experiencing God’s faithfulness tangibly and intimately amid life’s adversities.
In the Book of Numbers chapter 13, God instructed Moses to send twelve spies into Canaan, the land He had already promised to Israel. The Lord had declared the land to be fertile, abundant, and exceedingly good. Yet God often permits us to glimpse the promise before possessing it, cultivating within us a holy appetite and resolute faith to actively pursue what He has ordained, for faith without works is dead.
Moses instructed the spies to survey the land and return with evidence of its fruitfulness. When they returned, they carried a cluster of grapes so massive that it required two men to bear it upon a pole. The land was exactly as God had proclaimed. Its abundance confirmed His Word. Yet there was also an intimidating reality: giants inhabited the land.
Instead of allowing the challenge to fortify their faith, most of the spies became preoccupied with the obstacle and gave in to fear. They fixated on the enormity of the giants and lost sight of the magnificence of God’s promise. Yet if God’s declaration concerning the goodness of the land was trustworthy, why should the remainder of His promise be regarded with skepticism?
Caleb and Joshua discerned the assignment differently. They embraced the challenge with audacious faith. Their perspective was unwavering: If the land is truly good, then surely God will empower us to possess it. I call this the “If…Then Challenge.”
That same truth resonates in our lives today. If God did not withhold His own Son, then surely, He will remain faithful to every promise contained within His Word and complete His perfect work in our lives.
Several months ago, I experienced this principle personally when my vehicle required extensive repairs. I thanked God for my extended warranty because the expenses far exceeded what I desired to furnish. However, complications soon emerged. The warranty company delayed approving the claim, leaving me without transportation for weeks.
Although the dealership initially asserted that no loaner vehicles were available, one suddenly became accessible to me without me even requesting it. What I did not know was that a massive snowstorm would strike our area just two days later. This, too, was the goodness of God, because the vehicle my family was using could not withstand the storm. Without the loaner vehicle, we would have been stranded for weeks.
What first appeared to be a victory quickly shifted into another challenge. Shortly thereafter, the warranty company denied my claim altogether and even rescinded my contract due to missing maintenance records.
In that moment, I went before my Adonai Yireh and prayed, “Lord, if You granted me favor for a loaner vehicle I did not even request, before I even knew I would need it, then surely You will see my need now and provide a resolution to this situation.”
And He did. My contract was reinstated, the claim was approved, and my vehicle was fully repaired.
Within every challenge lies an “if” that can anchor your faith and a “then” that can sustain your expectancy. May we possess the unwavering faith and spiritual fortitude of Caleb and Joshua—believing not only in the “if” of God’s promise, but also in the inevitable “then.”
May our thoughts, in seasons when challenges lead to depression, doubt, and anxiety, be: If God was faithful then, He remains faithful now.
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