Even if.

Paired together, these two words communicate that no matter what, the result is the same. A few days ago, this little phrase found a place in my prayers. Immediately, my mind raced back to the song “Even If” by MercyMe. Reflecting on the lyrics in light of my prayer, I felt a sense of peace rush over me as the source of my restlessness came into view. Augustine once said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.” Augustine recognizes a deep, existential desire that is within us all. We need to find rest in God. We need an “even if” faith. 

When we pray, we so easily get caught up in asking for our own desires or the results of our own expectations. Instead of praying for God’s will to be done, we pray for what we believe God should do, but what does this do to our faith? This kind of prayer puts pressure on God to work in certain ways. When God does not act or respond in the way that we wish, we question and doubt, becoming restless and worried about what is to come. This is not the posture of prayer that God desires us to practice. Instead, God is asking us to pray in alignment with his will and recognize that even if what we ask for does not come to us, our faith in God is still greater and our trust in him grows. Consider the opening of the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (ESV). As we model our prayers in response to the Lord’s example, we see the importance of asking for God’s will to be done. We find freedom knowing that no matter what happens, no matter how God’s will plays out, our hope in God alone allows us to overcome. As we pray for God’s will to be done, we must be willing and ready to stand firm in faith even if we face opposition, trouble, or despair. 

To have an “even if” faith, we must believe in the power, presence, and providence of God more than the weight of our situation. Consider how the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went in the book of Daniel. We see that their faith in God is so strong that, even if they got consumed by the flames, they would not step down from their faith in the Lord. So we must ask ourselves: are we willing to set foot in the fire? When God works in ways that we do not understand or when we face seasons of trouble, will we stand firm? 

It is time we replace our restlessness with rest in God. As we respond in this way we must stand firm and pray. As we stand firm, we find confidence in remembering all that God has done. God calls us into remembrance so that we may not be overcome by our present situation. The Bible is full of testimonies of God’s story of redemption. God constantly calls his people to remember that he is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, taking us back through history to remember his faithfulness and to see his will being done. Let us confidently face the present, knowing that God has moved and that he will do it again. Even if we face trials, even if we face tribulation, even if we face temptation, God is still present, still powerful, and still victorious. 

In a culture that is consumed by constant worry and restlessness, it is even more important that we find rest in God. For we have been made for God, and it is only in God that we may find our rest. As we work to rest in God, we can lean on the words of Psalm 62 to help us reach this rest. In this psalm, David reminds himself of God as rock and salvation. For when we are in God, we will not be shaken. God is our refuge and our strength. While our situation threatens to stifle our rest and steal our joy, we can find rest and joy in God as our hope is in him alone. Pray through this psalm, and orient your heart towards the Lord. In God we find our firm foundation that cannot be shaken. Only God can put our hearts and minds at rest, and only God can bring true serenity to our souls. So, even if we pass through the waters, even if we walk through fire, we can find rest in knowing that God has chosen us, redeemed us, and won the battle for us. May we not be shaken.