The God of the Impossible

TEXT: Luke 1:26-38; Matthew 12 :18-25

Six months after Elizabeth got pregnant, Mary, a young virgin from Nazareth was visited by Gabriel, the same angel that visited Zechariah. He gave her the news that she was going to be impregnated by the Holy Spirit. It was time for the Messiah to come – and God put His plan into effect.

Gabriel also told her that her relative, Elizabeth was pregnant. He said of Elizabeth, “People used to say ‘she was barren’ but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” This was declared by the Angel. There are situations in our lives which seem impossible. Some of them are longstanding things we need dealt with. A character issue. A family matter. Difficult financial circumstances. A blessing sought. National calamities. Things we have hoped for, longed for or dreamt of for so long they seem impossible. And in ourselves, in our strength, it is. But not with God.

God is the God of the impossible. He specializes in making impossible things happen according to His purpose. Whatever impossible situation you face now, plead with God to help you with its resolution – I will add a caveat – ask Him to resolve it according to His will and purpose for you. If He can cause an old barren woman to become pregnant and cause a virgin to conceive, then He can resolve your impossible situation. These two impossible situations were made possible because God could and it suited God’s grand purpose that they should be resolved as they were.

Another impossible situation we all have in our lives is our sin condition. Sin means ‘a missing of the mark’ (from the Greek word harmatia). We have a condition of constantly missing the mark. Of not living up to or being up to the standards of God. Of being dirtied and sullied by sin. A Bible dictionary I use calls it ‘moral obliquity’ – not being morally upright in God’s sight. Sin. It is not a word we talk about very often or are very comfortable with. But it is a word God and Jesus used many times to describe the condition of mankind. Sin resides in our hearts and is the reason our world is in the mess it is in. Greed. Murders. Mass killings. Paedophilia. Broken trust. Deceit. Etc.

And in announcing the coming of Jesus, the angel Gabriel says that Jesus will save his people from their sins (see Matthew 1:21). He is called Saviour. That is what Jesus does. Save from sin. No one else can save each of us from sin. Not the Apostles. Not our Pastors. Not our religious systems. Not our politicians. Jesus is the Saviour. This is great news indeed. Two sons born to two different women both under seemingly impossible circumstances to achieve God’s purpose of saving the world from sin. With God, the impossible became possible. What are your ‘impossibles’ today? Make a list. Present it to God in prayer continually and ask Him to resolve these impossibles in accordance with His will and purpose. He might surprise you in how He works it out.

Prayer:
Lord, You are the God with whom all things are possible. Indeed, Jesus would later cry out to You that all things are possible for You and ask You to take his cup away from him – but in subjection to Your will. Lord we have impossible situations in our lives today. Please resolve them in accordance with Your perfect will and purpose for our lives and give us peace as You do so. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.