By Jason V (Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor)
"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. " (Matthew 19:26)
I have a friend who has now been cancer-free for five years, but five years ago, things did not look very good for her. She was in intensive chemotherapy and was not given a good prognosis. She was suffering such terrible side-effects from the chemo that she elected to stop the treatment. The cancer went away and has not come back in five years.
I've also been praying for a little girl who has brain cancer. She was showing remarkable signs of progress and was in remission until a few months ago, when the cancer came back. Her parents are trusting Jesus for a situation that just seems impossible from a human perspective.
Life often seems impossible. It's not just cancer. I lead a men's recovery group on Wednesday afternoons. The bondage of addiction and the side-effects of sin are devastating beyond description.
Impossible.
Such a word seems so heavy, so all-encompassing, so utterly and devastatingly absolute. For God, it is ultimately meaningless. Impossible is simply impossible for God. Of course, that doesn't mean He always does what we want Him to do. His actions don't always make sense to us, but God never runs into a problem or situation and says, "Wow! I didn't see that coming. What am I going to do? This just seems impossible! "
If anything were to be impossible for God, these things would certainly have to be near the top of the list:
1. For God the Creator to become man, a created being.
2. For the eternal God to enter time.
3. For the Maker of the Universe to be carried as an embryo in a womb.
4. For the Giver of Life to die.
5. For death itself to die.
6. For a sinful people to be chosen and loved by a sinless and utterly HOLY God.
7. For those who are, by nature, enemies of God to be made into God's children.
Surely if anything were to be impossible for God, these things would fall into that category. Yet the Bible tells us that Christ has accomplished all of these things. The Gospel is the Good News that the most impossible and yet essential things have already been settled by God, accomplished by Christ.
If Christ could do the impossible to secure our salvation, then nothing else is too hard for Him. If He loved us enough to be willing to do the impossible for our salvation, then surely He is willing to work all things for our good (Romans 8:28). Neither His power nor His love should be in doubt if we know and believe the Gospel.
The real question that's left for us is not Can God do anything to help? or Will God do the right thing? The essential question is Will we trust Him? In the dark night of our suffering and struggle, this question is not always easy to hear, but only in trusting a loving, all-powerful Heavenly Father will we find any peace or comfort when life seems hopelessly impossible. We need to remember that it never is for Him!
Jason is blessed to be married to a wonderful woman and to have three children (two boys, aged seven and four and a one year old baby girl). He serves as the Pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Cheraw, SC and blogs over at Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor. He enjoys strong coffee, good books and nature walks with his family.