In the past few weeks, hyperbole has risen to ridiculous heights, climaxing with election day in the U.S. “The policies of the left would unleash an economic disaster of epic proportions,” Trump declared, predicting a great depression if his opponent won. Meanwhile, Biden asserted that if Trump wins, wildfires would become more rampant and COVID-19 would kill thousands more people. If you listen to both camps, the end of the world will come no matter who becomes the next president.

What if they’re right? What if the worst-case scenario, however you define it, occurred? What if your preferred candidate loses? What if we are plunged into a new dark age? What if cherished freedoms evaporate? What will keep you, as a Christian, from despair?

When the Worst-Case Scenario Occurs

The Stam and Scott families understood worst-case scenarios. These two Christian couples watched in pride as their children married and began their life together as missionaries in China. The young couple, John and Betty Stam, thrived in a difficult environment, a shining light in a dark time.[1] Soon, their parents’ joy multiplied as God blessed them with a granddaughter named Helen.

Then, the families’ worst fears became reality. War broke out. Local leaders promised the young couple’s city was safe and foreigners would be protected. But then unexpectedly and in just a matter of hours, hostile forces surrounded their place of safety. The next thing the in-laws knew, the Stam’s mission received a ransom note. Just days later on a lonely hillside, a blood-stained sword decapitated the young couple. To make matters even worse, no one knew what had become of their infant granddaughter.

Three Truths to Keep You from Despair

What would keep you from despair in this kind of worst-case scenario? What prevented the Stams and the Scotts from losing their faith in God? Still reeling from the news of their children’s barbaric deaths, these grieving parents left a written record of three truths that kept them from despair.

1. God’s Grace is Sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9)

In a telegram, Dr. and Mrs. Scott responded to those who had written to comfort them: “Deeply appreciate your consolation. Sacrifice seems great, but not too great for Him who gave Himself for us. Experiencing God’s grace.” God’s grace may seem like a nebulous concept until you experience it in times of deep distress. “My grace is sufficient for thee,” God told the apostle Paul in a time of suffering, and Paul found this to be true. The hymn writer, John Newton testified: “Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come. ‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

2. God’s Promises Prove True (Rom. 8:28)

Betty’s parents closed their telegram, claiming a promise from Scripture that sustained them, writing, “Believe wholeheartedly Romans 8:28.”[2] This verse promises, “and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God.” How these terrible circumstances could possibly work together for good these grieving parents could not fathom, but they trusted that God had a plan and a purpose even while living a worst-case scenario.

3. God’s Sovereignty Never Fails (Job 1:21).

Finally, both sets of parents rested in God’s sovereignty. John’s father wrote: “What could be more glorious? It is true, the manner in which they were sent out of this world was a shock to us all, but whatever of suffering they may have endured is now past, and they are both infinitely blessed with the joys of heaven. . . . We are sure that our dear brother and sister, Dr. and Mrs. C. E. Scott, both join us in saying, ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’”[3] Quoting the words of Job, Mr. Stam recognized that God was in control. God blessed Job with family, possessions, and health. Then God took each of these away. Did Job curse God and die? No, this faithful man recognized that God is sovereign in good times and in bad, even when the worst-case scenario strikes.

When God Shines through a Worst-Case Scenario

Then a miracle happened. Nearly a week after John and Betty’s deaths, the bereaved grandparents received news that baby Helen had survived. A Chinese Christian couple risked their lives to find and rescue the little one. Dr. Scott wrote: “Everything about her deliverance tells of God’s love and power. And we know that if He could bring a tiny, helpless infant, not three months old, through such dangers in perfect safety, He could no less surely have saved the lives of her precious parents, had that been in His divine plan for them.”[4] Thus, God further showed His grace, affirmed their faith in His promises, and proved anew His sovereignty.

What if the worst-case scenario occurs today? Will God’s grace vanish? Will God’s promises lose their power? Will God’s sovereignty fail against the onslaught of men?

Let us rest in God’s grace, hope in His promises, and trust in His sovereignty. Unless God has ordained it to be, the world won’t end today. But if it did, don’t let it find you in despair.

Picture: baby Helen Stam after rescue

[1] Read more of John and Betty Stam’s God-glorifying testimony in my upcoming book, Daring Devotion: A 31-Day Journey with those who Lived God’s Promises.

In addition, I highly recommend the following biographies of the Stams:

Taylor, Mrs. Howard. The Triumph of John and Betty Stam. Philadelphia: China Inland Mission, 1935.

Christie, Vance. John and Betty Stam, Missionary Martyrs. Greanies House, UK: Christian Focus, 2008.

[2] Taylor, 109.

[3] Ibid., 109–110.

[4] Ibid., 116.