Even If
Published Mar 8, 2022
By Amanda Popp
Living in the Even If…
Habakkuk 3:17-19
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
God, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
Most of the book of Habakkuk are rants towards God. Basically like “dude!! What are you doing?! You’re a holy God! WHERE ARE YOU?!”
God replies to him— “yep! Right here! And guess what?! I’m bringing you some pretty rough stuff. Destruction. Violence. THEN! You know what?! My timing, it may SEEM slow, but it’s perfect and it’s coming at the perfect time.”
Habakkuk ends with the verses I shared above.
Through the violence. Sinning. Destruction. Seeming like God is nowhere to be found Habakkuk reminds himself—
EVEN IF—all of this bad happens…and it most certainly will.
YET— I WILL REJOICE IN THE LORD!!
He doesn’t say “what if” all this happens. He says “though…” because the bad is happening. Will happen.
And YET! He will take JOY in the God of his salvation!
There is a stark similarity between the world Habakkuk lived in and the one we find ourselves in now. The hatred spewed from people. The opinions shared that are “the only” ones to agree on. The disregard for anyone else who doesn’t agree fully with their opinions. I’ve seen it from the believer and non-believer alike and it BREAKS MY HEART.
Truth be told, believers, you’re not gaining anyone to the Lord with some of your actions and words.
We MUST live in the EVEN IF.
Our world is going to get harder and harder, we KNOW that! There isn’t a “what if” to even consider, we know it. We should be expecting it.
So, EVEN IF, bad things happen, if things seem to be all against us, if God seems nowhere…will YOU decide to live in the even if? In the thankful spirit of the JOY of your salvation?
I often think of Corrie Ten Boom. Her story is a tragically beautifully one. She FORGAVE the guards that made her life terrible. She was THANKFUL for the fleas infesting her barracks. She lived with grace and love in one of the worst places possible. Her circumstances don’t come close to the ones I’m living in. And probably never will. She choose to live in the EVEN IF.
And, so am I.
Let the What Ifs happen.
They’re going to.
We can’t stop them.
Live in the Even Ifs.
Trusting and knowing that the God of your salvation has the MOST perfect timing.
The most perfect timing ever!
It’s totally okay you to have your own convictions and share them with LOVE and understanding that others don’t have those same convictions and THAT IS OKAY!! We need to focus on TRULY loving one another.
We KNOW the ending. We win! God wins!!
We just have to make it there. Gracious, kind, loving and sharing Him through it all, because…it’s BECAUSE of his grace, kindness and love that we are able to even share it.
Let’s all live in the even if.
