IF…THEN — Lesson Five: If God Is Who He Says He Is…Then How Will I Live?
We have asked a lot of “if” questions.
If my beginning had been different, then…
If my circumstances changed, then…
If I had what they have, then…
If God does what I am asking, then…
But today, we are going to stop putting ourselves after the word IF.
Today, we’re putting GOD there.
IF GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS…
THEN WHAT?
That question can change everything.
The Final Test
Don’t answer these too quickly.
If God really is good, then how would you face the situation you don’t understand?
If God really is faithful, then what are you still afraid to place in His hands?
If God really is your Provider, then why does fear have so much control over tomorrow?
If God really is your Shepherd, then why are you afraid to follow where He leads?
If God really is your Father, then why are you measuring your worth by people’s approval?
If God really does see you, then why do you believe you have been forgotten?
And if God really can work all things together for good…
Then what part of your story have you already decided He cannot redeem?
Two Women. Two Words. Two Responses.
Let’s go to Luke 1.
Two people received messages from God that seemed impossible.
Zechariah was told that he and Elizabeth would have a son in their old age.
Mary was told that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus.
Both had questions.
But something was different in their responses.
Zechariah essentially asked:
“How can I know this?”
Mary asked:
“How will this be?”
Mary did not understand how God would accomplish what He said.
But she was willing to trust Who had said it.
And then came one of the most beautiful sentences of surrender in Scripture:
“Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” — Luke 1:38
Think about what Mary did not know.
She didn’t know how Joseph would respond.
She didn’t know what people would say.
She didn’t know every difficulty ahead.
She didn’t receive a detailed twenty-year plan.
She received God’s word.
And then she surrendered.
“Let it be to me according to Your word.”
That’s an IF…THEN life.
If You are God…
then I don’t have to understand everything before I obey You.
What If We Have Been Asking the Wrong Question?
We often ask:
“God, what are You going to do?”
But perhaps sometimes God is asking:
“Now that you know who I am, what are YOU going to do?”
We ask:
“Will You provide?”
God says:
“Do you believe I am Jehovah Jireh?”
We ask:
“Do You see what’s happening to me?”
God says:
“Do you believe I am El Roi—the God who sees?”
We ask:
“Can You bring something good from this?”
God reminds us:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” — Romans 8:28
We ask:
“Can I really face this?”
And Scripture asks us:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” — Romans 8:31
Maybe the greatest question isn’t:
“What if everything goes wrong?”
Maybe it is:
“What if everything Scripture says about God is true?”
If That Is True…Then This Changes
Let’s make this practical.
IF God is El Roi—the God who sees me…
THEN I don’t have to live as though I am forgotten.
IF God is Jehovah Jireh—the Lord who provides…
THEN I can bring Him my needs without allowing fear to become my master.
IF God is my Shepherd…
THEN I can follow even when I cannot see the entire road.
IF God is my Father…
THEN rejection does not determine my value.
IF Jesus has forgiven me…
THEN shame does not get to write my identity.
IF God’s grace is sufficient…
THEN weakness does not disqualify me.
IF God is working…
THEN waiting is not the same thing as being forgotten.
IF God is for me…
THEN fear does not get the final word.
And:
IF Jesus rose from the dead…
THEN hopelessness never gets to call itself permanent.
The Empty Chair
Imagine there is an empty chair sitting in front of you.
On that chair is everything you have been trying to control.
Your family.
Your health.
Your marriage.
Your children.
Your finances.
Your future.
Your ministry.
Your reputation.
Your unanswered prayers.
Your regrets.
Your dreams.
Your fears.
And perhaps one thing you have never completely surrendered.
Now imagine Jesus standing beside that chair.
He doesn’t force anything out of your hands.
He simply asks:
“Do you trust Me?”
Not:
“Do you understand Me?”
“Do you know what happens tomorrow?”
“Can you guarantee the outcome?”
Just:
“Do you trust Me?”
What would you place on that chair today?
From My Heart to Yours
When I look backward over my life, there are so many chapters that did not make sense while I was living them.
There were times as a child when I was simply trying to survive from one day to the next.
I could not see where my life was going.
I could not see America.
I could not see education.
I could not see marriage and family.
I could not see ministry.
I could not see the people God would someday allow me to encourage.
I certainly could not see myself sitting with women and telling them:
“Don’t give up. God is not finished.”
But El Roi saw beyond everything I could see.
And that is one of the reasons Romans 8:28 means so much to me:
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…”
Not everything that happened was good.
But God was good.
There is a difference.
Some things wounded me.
Some things frightened me.
Some things I would never choose to experience again.
But none of them were powerful enough to prevent God from continuing His work.
And now I realize something.
If I had spent the rest of my life asking:
“What if my life had been different?”
I might have missed the life God was giving me right in front of me.
So today my question is different.
If God has carried me this far…
then why would I stop trusting Him now?
— El Roi’s Daughter — the God who sees me
Five Lessons. Five Decisions.
We began this journey with:
LESSON ONE
If my beginning had been different, then…
We learned: My beginning does not have authority over my ending.
LESSON TWO
If my circumstances changed, then…
We learned: God can give me peace before everything around me changes.
LESSON THREE
If I had what they have, then…
We learned: God is asking me what is in my hands—not what is in theirs.
LESSON FOUR
If God does this, then I’ll trust Him.
We learned: God’s character is trustworthy even when His answer is different from what I hoped.
LESSON FIVE
IF GOD IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS…
THEN I WILL LIVE LIKE I BELIEVE HIM.
Now Finish the Sentences
Don’t write what sounds spiritual.
Write what you actually need to surrender.
If God is faithful, then I will stop ________________________________________________.
If God sees me, then I will stop believing ________________________________________________.
If God forgives me, then I will release ________________________________________________.
If God provides, then I will trust Him with ________________________________________________.
If God is leading me, then my next obedient step is ________________________________________________.
If God is still writing my story, then I will ________________________________________________.
Now look at your answers.
That’s where your next chapter begins.
Not with another lesson.
With obedience.
The 7-Day IF…THEN Challenge
For the next seven mornings, before checking your phone, before reading messages, before allowing yesterday’s worries to enter today’s mind, say one sentence:
“IF GOD IS __________, THEN TODAY I WILL __________.”
Monday:
If God is faithful, then today I will trust Him.
Tuesday:
If God is my Provider, then today I will refuse to be ruled by fear.
Wednesday:
If God sees me, then today I will remember I am not forgotten.
Thursday:
If God’s grace is sufficient, then today I will stop disqualifying myself because of weakness.
Friday:
If God forgives, then today I will stop carrying what He has already released.
Saturday:
If God is working, then today I will trust Him in the waiting.
Sunday:
If God is God, then today I surrender again.
Our Final Prayer
Father,
We started this journey with so many ifs.
If my past had been different…
If my circumstances would change…
If I had what someone else has…
If You would answer the way I want…
But today I want to place a different name after IF.
YOU.
If You are faithful, then I will trust You.
If You see me, then I will stop living as though I am forgotten.
If You are my Provider, then I will place tomorrow in Your hands.
If You have forgiven me, then I will stop allowing yesterday to name me.
If Your grace is sufficient, then I will stop waiting until I feel strong enough to obey.
If You are working all things together for good, then I will not declare my story finished while You are still writing it.
Lord, I give You my unanswered questions.
My disappointments.
My comparisons.
My fears.
My plans.
My family.
My future.
My past.
My dreams.
And the outcomes I have tried so hard to control.
I don’t know everything that tomorrow holds.
But I know Who holds tomorrow.
So here I am.
Like Mary, I say:
“Let it be to me according to Your word.”
And like Isaiah, I say:
“Here I am! Send me.” — Isaiah 6:8
I don’t want to merely study faith.
I want to live it.
I don’t want to merely say You are faithful.
I want my decisions to show that I believe You are faithful.
I don’t want another lesson that changes my notebook but never changes my life.
Change me.
And when another fearful “what if” comes tomorrow, remind me of the greatest IF of all:
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” — Romans 8:31
You are God.
You are good.
You are faithful.
You see me.
You are with me.
And You are not finished.
Therefore:
I WILL TRUST YOU.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
One Last IF…THEN
When fear says:
“What if?”
When comparison says:
“If only…”
When disappointment says:
“If God had…”
When uncertainty says:
“But what if tomorrow…”
Come back to this:
IF GOD IS STILL GOD…
THEN I CAN TAKE THE NEXT STEP.
Not because I know what happens next.
Not because everything turned out the way I wanted.
Not because I understand the entire story.
Because I know the Author.
And perhaps that is where faith has been trying to bring us all along:
From:
“God, if You change my life, then I’ll trust You.”
To:
“God, because I trust You, I will let You change me.”
Walking with you in His grace — one step, one prayer, one surrendered heart at a time.
— Rachel Lim
El Roi’s Daughter — the God who sees me