Take 5 with Kathy - "What if...?"

I tend to ask lots of “What if…?” questions. My husband often says, “Kathy, you worry too much. It will all work out.” And he is usually right, but I like everything to be perfect and well-ordered. With my son’s wedding fast approaching I’ve been preoccupied with “What ifs”.

I’m not sure about your “what ifs”, but as women we are more likely to become overwhelmed with them. Most of us simply accept it as our responsibility to ensure everyone and everything is properly cared for. Perhaps we feel things just won’t get done, or done the way we prefer, if we don’t do it. Maybe some past experience makes us fearful or doubtful and we find ourselves saying, “But…”, “However…”, “Still…”, “What if…?”

Often I chide myself, especially when I have uttered such a comment in public and think, “Now that really wasn’t a very good testimony of your faith in God! Your words need to be an accurate representation of what you believe in your heart.” That reminds me of Proverbs 27:19, “As water reflects a face, so a man’s heart reflects the man.”

Moses was full of “What ifs” when he met God at the burning bush. “What if I’m not the best person for the job?” “What if I can’t speak eloquently?” “What if they won’t listen to me or believe me?” “Oh, Lord, please send someone else!”

I find it hard to fault Moses too much for his fears and insecurity. He was, after all, an ordinary man who had tried to lead (yes, he should have used a different approach), been rejected by his own people, lost his self-worth and confidence, and was feeling his age and lack of usefulness. The key here is that he had lost his focus and his eyes were fixed on his shortcomings.

God saw exactly where Moses was coming from and in the beginning was very patient and gently reassured Moses. With every question or concern Moses proposed, God attempted to re-focus Moses’ eyes on “I AM”, “The LORD”, “Jehovah” (YHWH in Hebrew). This was the name for God the Israelites revered most and even refused to pronounce for fear they got it wrong. God instructed Moses to tell the people, “I AM has sent you.” and to remind them of God’s promises and past protection. It should have been all Moses needed to boost his morale and confidence, but it wasn’t. Moses was still too focused on himself and his problems.

I love the song, “Call Upon the Name of the Lord” by Travis Doucette. The first verse says,

“He is near to the broken

Close to the weary of heart

In His name is a refuge

A safety for the weak and discarded.”

His name, “I AM”, is the answer to all our “What ifs”.

Kathy