Not Impossible

For nothing will be impossible with God.

Luke 1:37

This short sentence, uttered by the angel-messenger Gabriel, to the Virgin Mary sums up the totality of God’s presence in God’s creation.  NOTHING will be impossible with God.  Nothing.

 

“Annunciation” by He Qi

This is a difficult statement to believe, I’ll give you that.  Much like what Gabriel unpacks for Mary as the plan for her is revealed, we too can have a difficult time getting a handle on what God has in store for us or how God can enter into and impact our lives.   Most of the time I think we associate God’s insertion into our lives as a negative and something that we cannot, and may not ever fully understand:  the death of a child, the diagnosis of a disease, the sudden loss of a job.  We are often left as Mary was, at first, “much perplexed,” asking the eternal question which often has no discernible answer, “Why?  Why is this happening to me, God?”

 

I will, however, point out that because, “nothing will be impossible with God,” all of the seemingly impossible GOOD things that happen in our lives also takes place.  The birth of a child, falling in love, sometimes that we even make it through a difficult day…the list truly is endless.

 

The best part is that even when we are feeling our worst about ourselves, even when we feel that we have done something that is truly unforgivable, or we are convinced that we cannot possibly be loved–especially by God–that’s when this sentence needs to be ringing in our ears:  NOTHING will be impossible with God….even our forgiveness, even our redemption.

 

When we offer our lives to God, when we let God into our lives by giving over control of our lives to God, even the impossible becomes possible.  Perhaps not exactly how we would dream or pray that they are–God is still in control, remember–but because we are so loved and God’s mercy and faithfulness are from everlasting, like Mary, we too can say, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

 

Emmanuel,