"If" is an interesting word. It's the entry into a conditional clause, an indirect question. It is an unknown value. For instance, in programming we have things called "if-thens." That is, "If X, then Y." Which would mean if X occurs, then Y occurs. If X does not occur, no Y. It only gets more complicated from there, like "if-then-else," but you get the idea. We don't know if X occurs until it does. So we have a contingency plan. Our lives are full of contingency plans. We don't know what the weather will be, so we try to guess and prepare. We don't know what the market will do, so we "hedge our bets." Life is full of "ifs," pleasant or unpleasant. "If I win the lottery" is not the same as "If I get hit by a bus," but they're both "if" statements. Because we ... don't ... know.
So, when we read, "God is greater than our heart and knows all things" (1 John 3:20), it can be quite an encouragement. When we read, "Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O YHWH, You know it all" (Psa 139:4), it can provide some peace. When the Bible says that God "knows the secrets of the heart" (Psa 44:21), that's really good to know. King David wrote, "Even before I was born, you had written in your book everything I would do." (Psa 139:16). Imagine that! No surprises for God. Scripture is clear ... God knows everything, even in advance (e.g., Matt 6:8). God has ... no contingencies. He has no "ifs." Someone said, "God knows all contingencies, but He knows nothing contingently."
We don't know what tomorrow will bring (James 4:13-15). Just about everything is up for grabs, it seems. We can guess and we can surmise and we can figure some things out. The sun will come out tomorrow ... almost certainly. But we can't know, so we have "ifs" ... plans in place to handle contingencies, like savings accounts and band-aids, insurance and security systems, fire alarms and emergency plans, seatbelts and vaccines. But we know who knows tomorrow, and He has no "ifs" in His view. If you're thinking you might mess up His plans, think again. You're not an "if." If you're thinking that something in your life might catch Him off guard, don't. Your life is not an "if." We live on "ifs." He doesn't need them. "Don't worry," He says, "I've got this."
2 comments:
Believing that God is sovereign and all-knowing and has all things worked out perfectly already is the only way I can trust in Him. Otherwise, He’s only “a few steps ahead of me” and not completely reliable and fail-safe. Whenever I make plans (i.e. trips, projects, etc.), I usually say, “God willing” (and I certainly always think it) in view of James 4:15; it keeps me mindful of God’s continuous prerogative to direct and redirect my steps.
I recently read a post (linked to by Tim Challies) titled, “The Odds Might Not Always Be In Your Favor.” When writing about the “ifs” of life, the author described how “God changes the ‘what ifs’ to ‘even ifs’.” I liked how that emphasizes God’s presence in every contingency of life. Another good quote comes from Corrie ten Boom: “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer. Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.”
The only if's I can think of attributed to God are based on our internal uncertainty. If God was desiring to display His glory. It's an argumentation if, not a question.
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