ANYWAY
adverb: in spite of, regardless
When everything was hopeless, Abraham believed anyway, deciding to live not on the basis of what he saw he couldn't do but on what God said He would do. Romans 4:18 MSG
Hopeless? Wondering how this pain, this struggle, this impossible situation can possibly work out? Do you want to believe that it will...even if you have every reason not to?
Abraham did. He dared to believe that God would be faithful to him and would keep His promise. "He didn't tiptoe around God's promise asking cautiously skeptical questions. He plunged into the promise and came up strong, ready for God, sure that God would make good on what He had said" (Romans 8:20-21).
He believed anyway, in spite of what he could see.
No matter how things appear to us right now, we can have that same kind of hope. The "plunging in" kind. Believing with all our hearts when we don't know what else to do. Why? Because God keeps his promises. Because he is who he says he is. And because every detail of our lives matters to him.
Are you stinging from that critical comment, that cruel social media post, that false accusation? He can help you look for kindness, goodness… anyway.
Disheartened by the stressful pace of life, the daily news, the pressures of school and work and home, the lack of time and sleep? He can help you breathe in joy, peace, and laughter…anyway.
Overwhelmed with fear about the health concern, the debt, the conflict that won’t go away? He can help you hold onto hope and trust him… anyway.
Life is not always “good” for any of us. But God is. Always.
INVITE HIM IN
Does God seem far away right now? Just start talking to him...anyway. Why? Because inviting him in can change things. It can change us. Like Abraham, let's decide to live not on the basis of what we see we can’t do, but on what God said he will do. He promised that he will restore everything (see Acts 3:19-21). He promised that he will work all things together for good, even if what we can see right now is not (Romans 8:28). In spite of…regardless…he is good, and we really can trust him. Anyway.
Excerpted with permission from Just One Word, by Susie Crosby, published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon, 97408. Copyright 2018, Susie Crosby. www.harvesthousepublishers.com