Even if You Don’t

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29 (NIV)

The powerful song Even If by the Christian band MercyMe speaks to God’s sovereignty. It speaks about God’s faithfulness and grace in the face of hardships. The backstory is told in the movie I Can Only Imagine 2. The movie portrays the difficult journey the lead singer, Bart Millard, and his family were on for more than a decade. It follows the family's journey after their two-year-old son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a chronic disease for which there is no cure and that requires daily insulin injections to survive. When he wrote the song, his son was a rebellious teenager who struggled with rules and routine, including the routine of taking his daily insulin shots. This caused friction and tension as they were dealing with potentially life-threatening situations as well as other family issues. This song is a declaration of trust in God in difficult times. A surrender to His sovereignty. A Surrender to His grace that sustains and empowers us in our weakness.

You Are Able

They say it only takes a little faith to move a mountain.

Well, good thing. A little faith is all I have, right now.

But God, when You choose to leave mountains unmovable,

Oh, give me the strength to be able to sing, it is well with my soul

I know You're able, and I know You can save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't, my hope is You alone.

The stresses and strains of our lives can make us feel weary, worn out and helpless. We feel as if God isn’t there. We feel that He doesn’t care that we are drowning in a never-ending flood of difficulties. We see the mountains looming in front of us, and all we want is for God to move the mountains so we can move on with our lives. The mountains that are causing us so much stress. The stress of work, being a single mom, unemployment, unpaid accounts piling up, difficult relationships, physical and emotional pain.

But what if God doesn’t move those mountains – at least not now, and not in the way we expect Him to? What if God wants us to pause long enough, take our eyes off our struggles and look to Him? To turn our eyes to Jesus and give Him our cares and burdens (Psalm 55:22). To pause and ask Him, “Lord, what do You want me to learn from these struggles I am facing?” To pause so that we can hear Him say, “Fear not, I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).

Jesus is inviting us to come to Him with our heavy load. To know that He is able to rescue us. And even when He doesn’t do it now, we put our hope in Him. We can lean on His mighty power, knowing that we will not be shaken by the mountains in front of us. His love, mercy and power will sustain us so that we can say, “It is well with my soul.”

Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. (NIV)

Reflection:

Will you trust God’s sovereignty in your struggles?

Prayer:

Lord, You see the mountains I am facing. Help me to trust You to move the mountains in Your time. Show me, Lord, what You want to teach me during this time. In Jesus’ name. amen.