“TRUST GOD WITH THE IMPOSSIBLE”

Someone has said “When God is going to do something wonderful He begins with a difficulty; if He is going to do something very wonderful, He begins with impossibility!” Great opportunities for growth and service often come veiled as impossibilities waiting to be unmasked by the superseding grace and power of God.

Nothing is impossible with God! The prophet Jeremiah wrote “Ah Lord God: Behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee.” (Jer. 32:17) Jesus Himself said, “The things thought impossible with men are possible with God.”
(Luke 18:27)

One of the great tragedies of our spiritual or personal lives occurs when we fail to trust God with opportunities that are seemingly impossible. An excellent example of that is found in the Book of Numbers, chapters 13 and 14.

God spoke to Moses and told him to send men to search the land of Canaan, “which I give unto the children of Israel.” Moses sent them out and after 40 days they returned to report “We came into the land whither thou sendest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey.” It was a land of abundant opportunity.

Their report was not finished, however, “The people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great….the people we saw are men of great stature….there we saw the giants.” And the congregation cried and wept all night and murmured against Moses and against Aaron and wished they were back in captivity in Egypt.

Caleb, one of the twelve spies, when he heard the report said “Let us go up at once and possess it.” And when Caleb and Joshua heard the cries of the people they spoke to them and said “The land which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it us.”

Caleb and Joshua agreed with the majority report as far as the fruitfulness of the land, the strength of the walled cities, and the size of the inhabitants, but they walked by faith and not by sight when they proclaimed “we are well able to overcome it….the Lord is with us, fear them not.” Because of their murmurings and rebellion, and because they walked by sight and not by faith, however, all the congregation over 20 years of age except Caleb and Joshua died in the wilderness and never knew the land of milk and honey.

When God swings doors of opportunity open for us He is also prepared to provide a way through them. Let me repeat what I have said so many times before: “Where God guides, He always provides.” Nothing is impossible with God – let’s walk by faith in Him.

“Got any rivers you think are uncrossable; Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through? God specialized in things tho’t impossible; He can do what no other power can do.”

FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

When I was in college I sang a solo with the college choir that was based on the beautiful Twenty-seventh Psalm. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

The Lord is the strength of my life! When I sang that Psalm as a college Freshman I didn't fully comprehend the reality and magnitude of God's strength. As the years have gone by, however, I have become more and more aware of the undergirding, empowering strength of the Lord in my life.

The strength my Lord gives through His grace equips me to do battle with the enemy of my soul and to face confidently the other problems of life as they come. It is only when we recognize our own weakness and insufficiency that we are able to rest in His strength and all sufficiency. The Lord reminded Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (II Cor. 12:9)

So often we struggle through life carrying all of our burdens alone - discouraged, disillusioned, defeated. That reminds me of a story David S. McCarthy tells in "That Unforgettable Encounter."

A little boy was trying to carry a heavy rock to the opposite side of the yard. He would stagger a few steps, drop his load, then pick it up once more. It was obvious to his father, standing nearby, that the little fellow would never be able to maneuver the boulder to its destination. The father shouted, "Use all your strength, son, use all your strength." Dad was still urging the boy on when he dropped his load for the last time.

"I am using all my strength," he shouted back at his father.

"But you haven't asked for my help," replied the dad. You see, we never employ all the resources available to us until we ask the Lord to help us.

Quit struggling with your burdens alone. Seek the help and strength of the Lord.