How many times have you told your kids, “that’s impossible!”
They want to know if they can live on the moon, how they can get a superpower, sometimes they just want to be able to fly.
Sorry bud, it’s not gonna happen.
The definition of impossible is “not able to occur, exist or to be done” a definitive answer to whether or not something can be accomplished. Our grasp of the laws of science and nature put limits on what we believe possible.
In Luke chapter 1, Mary finds herself in the presence of Gabriel, listening to the great message given her, but one that didn’t fit within her understanding of possibility – nor in ours. Not just her own miraculous pregnancy, but that of her cousin, old as she was, to bear a child. How was it possible? How could she survive?
In the midst of her curiosity, Gabriel reassures Mary that there is nothing out of God’s reach or out of His power to control.
"For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37)
The long awaited birth of the Messiah, God’s plan set in motion, was not born of human understanding, but with purposeful, intentional acts of great power that would superscede our comprehension, leaving no option other than to acknowledge the mighty and wondrous hand of God.
What are the limits we place on God?
We prepare for celebration, we prepare for remembrance. We reflect on a year that contained so much we never imagined possible. The questions rise up deep within us, how we will ever get back to normal, will this season ever end.
Maybe we've found our prayer life tiresome, we've been seeking guidance and answers from the Lord that aren't coming. We feel uncertain about what happens next, with elements of lost hope.
Mary reminds us not to lose faith, to keep a fascination for the impossible even when we don't understand. Her humble response to the angel's message "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38). A declaration of faith and trust in the God who is working all things out for his glory.
When we put all our stock in what we can prove to be true, we miss out on the beauty of God’s power and might. It doesn’t mean we expect God to give us superpowers, but it means we carry faith that God can work above and beyond everything we know to be attainable.
Where can we respond with humility to God's Word today?
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