God's Promises for Tomorrow's "What-Ifs"

What if?... Fear often comes with “what ifs” and vain speculation about the future. One example from the Bible that comes to mind when I think of this is when Jesus told Peter about his certain death. On hearing this, Peter began wondering about how John would also die. Rather than join him in this future speculation, Jesus told him not to be concerned about John. Instead, He wanted Peter to focus on counting the cost of his service to Christ and trusting Him.

Jesus rarely foretold personal details, but when He did, it was always to prepare His followers for trials or to point them to the sovereignty of God. When Jesus predicted the hardships His disciples would go through for the sake of the Gospel as He was sending them out in Matthew 10, He exhorted them not to be afraid because He would be with them—to rescue, deliver, embolden, and give them the words they needed when they stood before rulers and councils. He explained that as the sovereign Lord He was in charge of even a sparrow falling to the ground and had numbered their very hairs, saying, “So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:30–31).

The pattern of Jesus’ life and teaching was consistent with Scripture’s command not to look anxiously into tomorrow. He told the disciples, “Do not worry about tomorrow, what you will eat or drink, or what you will wear. Tomorrow has enough worries of its own” (Matthew 6:34). In a similar way, Paul in Philippians commands us: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

So why worry?

We are often lured into the “what ifs” by the desire to have a better understanding of what will happen. From the time we are young, we are taught problem-solving skills that help us plan for the future and avoid danger. We learn consequential thinking—“if this, then that”—to determine outcomes. We’re also taught to plan ahead, which requires some speculation about what might happen. In addition to this, we are wired in the flesh to seek to be in control, rather than to surrender our future to the Lord. By trying to predict what will happen, we fool ourselves into thinking that we are able, through reasoning, planning, and strategizing, to gain the wisdom and knowledge needed to shape our future. Instead, we often end up gripped by fear if our view of tomorrow looks bleak -- or clothed in pride if it looks promising.

While God commands us to be wise in planning for the future and exhorts us that a “wise man sees the danger and hides himself from it" (Proverbs 22:3), He never gives us license to either worry about or put our hope in our future circumstances. As we make diligent plans, we’re called to surrender them to Him and keep our hope in Christ, who alone knows our future.

How do we live in the tension of tomorrow without allowing “what ifs” to destroy our peace?

The apostle Paul leaves an example for us to follow when he acknowledges the brevity and uncertainty of his own future, declaring, “If I live, I live for Christ; if I die, I die for Christ. Whether I live or die, I belong to Christ.” Paul starts with the greatest point of anxiety—losing his very life—and makes a faith declaration that even in death, he is confident and at peace because he belongs to Christ. He recognizes that God alone has numbered his days.

Like Paul, once we settle the greatest “what if,” death itself, then we can move to the lesser “what ifs.” What if I have financial hardship? What if my health fails? What if my marriage doesn’t make it? What if my children aren’t healthy? Like Paul with life and death, we need to have a settled response for each of these based on our trust and confidence in the Father’s good plans for us and His promises.

The Bible makes it clear that “the secret things belong to the Lord” (Deuteronomy 29:29). When these questions come, we can answer: “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but God knows. He has gone before me, numbered my days, and promised that every hardship must first pass through His loving hands. He’s guaranteed that He’ll be with me, take care of me, give me wisdom, and strengthen me for every trial I face, giving me all that I need to flourish and live for His glory.”

We can take these “what ifs” and lay them at the foot of the cross under the promises of God, which is where they belong. As we see them in their rightful place under the kind jurisdiction of our loving Father, who tenderly cares for us, we are free to set our gaze on Christ and all of His promises.

Our Father has said that He’s come to give us an abundant life, overflowing with thankfulness and the fruit of the Spirit—among which are joy and peace. As Paul reminds us in Romans, they flow out of our lives as we trust in Christ—that He is who He says He is and will do all that He promises to do. When we trust Him and do this, we will find that every “what if” has its answer in Christ. As we rest in Him and His sovereign care, tomorrow’s uncertainties lose their power, and we are freed to live in His peace. “And the peace of God which passes all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

A Gravestone and an Empty Tomb

Something radical, life-transforming, and supernatural happened to me in April 1988. The Spirit of the living God—the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead—came upon me and sealed me eternally to God in Christ. As Paul writes in Ephesians 1, the Spirit is given “as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” That day brought new life, forgiveness, adoption, redemption, hope, and the fruit of the Spirit. But it also brought a gravestone – the death of slavery to sin, Satan, and the rule of my flesh. Like a gravestone marking a burial, this marked the death of my old self and the beginning of my new life in Christ.

When we come to Christ through repentant faith in His finished work on the cross, death and new life occur simultaneously: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:4). Paul echoes this reality in Colossians 3:3: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” In Galatians 2:20 he explains, “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”

As those who have died to sin (Romans 6:2), we are released from its power and are free to live and walk in the Spirit. For 24 years, my sinful nature ruled me, but through the atoning blood of Christ and His resurrection it was rendered powerless (Romans 6:6). As a result, my allegiance is no longer to Satan or the flesh but to the Father, the Lord Jesus and the Spirit of God: “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Romans 8:14). The Spirit assures us daily of our adoption (Romans 8:15–16) and that we are “co-heirs with Christ” as we share in His sufferings (Romans 8:17).

Paul emphasizes this doctrine because it is integral to the Christian faith. We must know and trust that our death to sin and resurrection with Christ are both present and future realities. Why? Because trusting Christ’s finished work and our new identity in Him is the foundation that prepares us to begin putting off the works of the flesh and putting on His righteousness, so that we can bear fruit for His glory. 

If we try to produce righteousness in our own strength, we will always fail. But when we learn to live by faith in His promises in union with Him, we are enabled to walk in newness of life. Paul exhorts us in Romans 6:13: “Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life.” In Colossians 3:5–18, he provides details of the sin we are to put off, in the Spirit’s power, along with the righteousness we are now called to live in. He uses strong language like “put to death” and “rid yourselves of” to describe how actively we are to resist the desires of the flesh. He then instructs us in the Spirit’s power to “clothe ourselves” and to “put on” the very character and nature of Christ—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience (Colossians 3:12).

Is it that simple?

If you’re anything like me, you’re wondering, “Is it really that simple?” The answer is both yes and no. Paul is not implying that understanding our union with Christ solves all spiritual struggles or negates the need to daily “put to death the misdeeds of the body”(Romans 8:13), which he shows is essential for eternal life. Instead, he’s showing that the resurrection power to live righteously is closely connected to understanding and trusting our new identity in Christ (Romans 6:11). As theologian Sinclair Ferguson writes, Paul knows that, “Our who determines our do.” He is clear that while we’re still tempted to sin and struggle, sin no longer has the right to reign over our lives. About this he declares, “For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). 

We have died with Christ to the law through His perfect obedience on our behalf. He now calls us to fulfill the law of love, not by our human works, but by grace, as we trust in His righteousness imputed to us. The indwelling Spirit enables us to do this – to live and walk in righteousness, holiness and truth like Jesus did (Romans 8:11; 1 John 2:6). “If we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16). In Romans 8:4, Paul shows that “the righteousness the law describes is fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

After wrestling to embrace and understand these truths for many years, I’ve come to realize that they are not abstract doctrines but essential for spiritual growth and flourishing in the Christian life. The patterns of the flesh still daily seek to control us (Romans 7:21), but by faith in Christ’s finished work, we can learn to walk in the Spirit and increasingly put to death the misdeeds of the body (Romans 8:13). 

This gravestone over my sinful flesh is much more than a metaphor. It is a daily reminder of the transforming power of the crucified and resurrected Lord Jesus Christ in me. The death to sin I experienced in 1988 was not a one-time event but an ongoing reality I embrace each day. By faith, I am empowered to live more and more in the freedom of the Spirit, bearing fruit and walking in victory over sin—not by my strength, but by the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead and now lives in me: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11).

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:3-8).

You Can Always Tell (Every Single Time): God's Faithfulness in Every Season

The Father’s wisdom and knowledge are so far beyond our comprehension that we rarely truly understand what is happening behind the scenes in our lives. He often leads us down paths we never expected, to places we were not looking for, through unsuspecting circumstances. At the same time, there is a rock-solid predictability to His character. We can remain steadfastly confident that regardless of the what, where, when and how of His mysterious ways, the “Who” remains the same. Regarding our Father’s character, we can always remain certain – every single time – that He is faithful and we can trust Him!

A strange tension exists between the absolute certainty of His character and our changing circumstances. Without the guarantee of His faithfulness, we’d be left to wring our hands in wonder if everything could possibly work out. We may have to wait long seasons like Abraham and Sarah for a promised blessing, or we might be taken aback by the seeming insignificance of God’s choice for us – like Samuel was when God revealed Israel’s future king, who was just a shepherd. But we can be sure that the One who sculpted us with His loving hands, hears our prayers, sees our tears and has a heart that is steadfastly faithful and devoted to our ultimate good (Psalm 139; 2 Kings 20:5). 

Life may appear on the surface non-sensical rather than ordered and good, like a tangle of loose strings instead of a tapestry. We at times may feel alone in our wilderness, but God assures us he will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He also promises that he will bring eternal good and purpose from even our most difficult circumstances and seasons of waiting (Romans 8:28). Like Joseph, we may discover that one disappointment leads to another and then possibly another, only to wake up one day and find all the broken pieces have been artfully formed into a mosaic displaying God’s glory in perfect pattern. 

Those of great faith throughout Scripture could never have predicted all of God’s incredible answers to their prayers, but they could stand with confidence on the character of the One they were depending on to lead and care for them. We can have this same confidence as we start and finish every day, in spite of the perplexing difficulties and long seasons of waiting we experience. Though our paths often take us through valleys of waiting and wilderness, we can always trust—every single time—that His character remains unchanging and His mercies are new each morning. Great is His faithfulness, now and forever!

"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33).