Have you ever wondered, “What if?” I know I have. There’s nothing like a doctor saying she feels a lump in a place that shouldn’t be lumpy to send your mind scurrying down dark paths that each disappear into the abyss of “What if?”. The wee hours of the morning can be a fertile zone for the what-ifs to surface and nudge your mind on a tour along an imaginary trail that doesn’t end anywhere good. More often, though, the question arises concerning the possible consequences of doing or not doing something. I don’t know if it’s age or spiritual growth, but I have become better at immediately squelching the what-ifs and refusing to be drawn into futile emotional turmoil. A mystery lump gave me ample opportunity to work on that lesson.

What prompted these musings? This week, I read a scripture in my quiet time that challenged me to ask, “What if?” in a different context. What if I dared to believe that the God of the Bible who loves me and lives in me could answer an outrageous prayer? Something that only he could cause to become a reality and seems too daring to become a concrete prayer. The sermon I heard on Sunday also prodded me in that direction. What if?

The Bible passage that triggered the hamster in my brain spinning on its wheel was Romans Chapter 4. Verse 13 says, “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” (Emphasis mine).*

That word lingered in my thoughts, “faith.” Abraham’s faith astounds me each time I read about him. He didn’t have the Bible filled with stories of God’s greatness and instruction as we do. He was a pioneer. It was just God and Abe on a trek through uncharted territories. All old Abe had was faith in that God. But Abraham listened to God, believed God, and trusted God to do what he promised. That sounds simple, right?

Not in my world. Abraham didn’t have the wealth of spiritual resources I do—think beyond the Bible to sermons and interviews, online ministry platforms, podcasts, and even Google to answer questions. Despite those advantages, I still quake in my Birks in uncharted domains requiring enormous faith.

Then, I read Saint Paul’s astonishing assertion in Romans 4:17b, “He [Abraham] is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not.” (Emphasis mine).

That statement is stunning. God can bring the dead to life and things into existence that do not exist. What if you and I grasped that truth with both hands and refused to let go? I don’t mean giving mental assent to the idea that God can do anything. What if we believed God could bring something into existence and didn’t assume it was magical thinking? Wow!

For me, prayer has always been a conversation with God that usually includes praising and thanking him. But when I bring requests to him, they are generally for other people’s needs or my own. What I rarely, if ever, do or have done is to ask for something huge or outrageous for myself.

What if I dared to dream big and trusted God to open the doors or put the pieces together to make it happen? I’m not referring to entering the world of magical thinking and expecting God to do all the work while I have tea and crumpets. There are many things I can’t make happen, but I can live by faith and confidently expect that he will open doors and create the necessary situations to make a dream a reality. The challenge for me is to walk into the great unknown while holding his hand when he does. What if?

Ephesians 3:20 also mentions God’s extraordinary power to do staggering things. The Message Bible says, “God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams!” Occasionally, I think of the quote, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” What if I voiced those wild, scary dreams to God and dared to believe he could bring them to fruition, not for my glory but his? What if?

Do you have a dream you’ve been afraid to put into words? Something that would honour God? What if? How daring are you?

Please feel free to add a comment if there is something you would like to share.

*References are from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless otherwise noted.

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