There Can Be No Ifs
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." — Job 13:15
The Bargain We Keep Offering
People in terrible situations — many of them the direct result of their own choices — say a version of the same sentence constantly:
"I will serve God the rest of my life if only He will do ______."
Fill in the blank. Heal me. Restore my marriage. Give me back my children. Fix my finances. Undo the consequences.
It is sincere. It is desperate. And it is a negotiation, which means it is not surrender.
Isn't it enough that Jesus suffered so terribly for our salvation? What right do we have to place conditions on God?
Why the Condition Is the Problem
An if changes the nature of the transaction entirely.
A conditional commitment is not a commitment; it is an offer. It says: here is what I will give You, provided You first give me what I want. And it keeps the person making it firmly in control of the outcome.
There can be no ifs in our commitment to the Lord. We must be willing to serve Him regardless of our circumstances — whether He chooses to improve them or not.
That is what Job settled in the worst hour of his life:
"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." (Job 13:15)
And it is what three men said standing in front of a furnace:
"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us... But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods." (Daniel 3:17–18)
But if not. Two of the most important words in Scripture. They were prepared for God to decline, and it changed nothing about their obedience.
The Verse We Misuse
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
This is the verse people reach for to prove that God will fix it.
But remember that "good" often means one thing to God and quite another to us.
Consider what Peter calls good:
"Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6–7)
Heaviness. Manifold trials. Faith tried with fire.
Does that sound like all things working together for good? It does to God — and that is what counts.
Point to Ponder
A conditional commitment is not a commitment. It is an offer, and it leaves you in control.
Verse to Remember
"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us... But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods." — Daniel 3:17–18
Question to Consider
What is the if in my commitment to God?
Today's Practice
Find your if. Everyone has one.
Write out this sentence and complete it honestly:
"I will serve God fully if only He will ______."
Do not write something noble. Write the actual thing — the healing, the restored relationship, the financial relief, the vindication, the child coming home, the door finally opening.
Now cross out the word if and everything after it. Rewrite the sentence:
"I will serve God fully."
Say it out loud. Notice how much harder it is without the clause.
Then add the two words from Daniel 3 and pray it: "Lord, You are able to do this. But if not — I will still serve You. I remove the condition."
You may have to pray it more than once before you mean it. Pray it anyway.
Prayer
Father, I have been negotiating with You and calling it faith.
I have told You I would serve You fully, and there has always been a clause attached that I did not say out loud. You knew it was there.
I am removing it today. You are able to do what I have been asking. I believe that. But if You do not — I will still serve You. I will not walk away, and I will not go looking for another god who promises better terms.
Teach me that Your definition of good is better than mine, even when it includes fire. Especially when it includes fire.
Though You slay me, yet will I trust in You. Make that true of me and not merely something I have read.
In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
"But if not." Two words that separate worship from negotiation.