“What if?” It’s a powerful question. One that can stoke anxiety or seed a dream. It’s a question that can change the course of your life depending on the way you ask it of yourself.

One of our pastors, Matt Noblitt, recently gave a sermon about the power of that question. Particularly it’s power when it comes to our faith. One point he made was that the “presence of fear is unavoidable but the prison of fear is optional.” In his sermon, Noblitt spoke about the story of Joshua and the power of God’s encouragement. When Joshua is trying to lead the Israeli nation into the promised land in spite of the many obstacles in their way, God tells him, “Be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:9). I know this verse by heart, but Noblitt pointed out a part I hadn’t thought about before. God says “be strong” not “feel strong.” Noblitt noted that “faith often requires you to take action before you feel ready.”

As he stood looking at the walls of Jericho, if Joshua was anything like me, he was probably asking himself some version of “what if?” when God told him to march around the city. What if this doesn’t work? What if they see us coming? What if we get pushed back? What if we have to wander around in the desert for 40 more years!?!?!?!

I can get caught up in the negative what if cycle pretty fast. Rumination is not just for cows, people.

But there is a way to conquer this cycle, this fear. Flip the outlook of the question. Not what if this doesn’t work? But what if this DOES work?

Perhaps Joshua took that perspective on the what if question. He did obey God after all, and he did succeed. Perhaps his mental cycle sounded more like this: What if this does work? What if we scare them off? What if all the city becomes ours? What if we finally make it to the promised land?

Flipping the what if question can give us what we need to conquer the fear that can stop us from following in the right path.

About three years ago, I worked in a job I absolutely LOVED. And I was great at it. Not bragging. I just loved it so much that I couldn’t help but want to get better and better and ask for feedback and try to excel.

When I had my first child 10 years ago, people would ask me if I would ever leave my job, and I would roll my eyes and say, no way! I was well on my way up the ladder of my career and enjoyed being deeply embedded in my work community.

And then God called me to leave. He knocked on my heart and my dreams and nudged me follow him on a new journey.

So I did what most sensible humans do.

I ignored him.

Until I couldn’t anymore.

Every year, I try to take a weekend away to spend time talking with my husband about our lives, to dream together about the future, and to enjoy much needed time away from the kids. This year our plan had been to visit a national park. But then my husband came down with pneumonia, and we decided to cancel our flight and just head up to a quiet mountain hotel instead for some r and r.

In our conversations, I kept bumping into road blocks, and frustrated, I asked, “should I just quit my job?” I was joking. Mostly.

But then, a still small voice whispered, “What if you did?”

First, I got defensive. Why should I have to be the one to quit? Isn’t my job just as worthy and important?

Next, I felt afraid. Oh my gosh, what will my colleagues think? Will we be able to swing it financially? What about the people I will be letting down? Can I even imagine myself being a stay at home mom?

All weekend I prayed for clarity. And it was like God kept nudging and nudging my heart with the right side of the what if question. What if I did quit my job and that was exactly what I needed for this season? What if I got to spend some time writing that book? What if our pace of life could slow down? What if I wasn’t so exhausted all the time for my kids and husband? What If I could get outside and garden more often? What if we could get a dog? What if I could spend more time with my family? It was like God was putting this amazing gift of a life in front of me, and he was saying, “go ahead, take it.”

Looking at the positive side of that what if question helped me “be strong and courageous” in following what I believed God was calling me to do, in spite of the fact that to everyone, including me, it seemed crazy.

I tell this story because this decision to leave my job was the first time I really had to put my faith in God with a significant part of my life. With a part that could go really, really wrong. And I think about this moment often. Because that decision to trust God and follow him, even when it made no sense and felt like a choice that was disappointing and scary, was definitely the right decision.

To conclude his sermon, Matt Noblitt asked the crowd, “What if you were fully confident that God is with you wherever you go?” This question is one that can help you flip your what if from negative to positive. For when I am confident of God’s love and his plan and his presence, I can easily flip my own fearful what ifs into questions that illuminate my dreams.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9