Facing the Impossible?
It seems impossible... how could it be done? A small voice even tries to suggest that what is asked is more than unfair to even expect. Yet the challenge is unavoidable and the assignment is center stage. “Oh Lord, what do we do now?”
Have you ever contemplated those thoughts as you face a challenge at work or as you look at a seemingly insurmountable problem? The task appears too great and the possibilities are slim. The situation seems hopeless and the only answer is a miracle from God. There are cries of doubt and defeat, but a whisper of truth says, God is the God of the impossible.
If the above scenario describes where you are at, you are not alone. Not only does the above description ring true for many pastors and staff around the country today, but it was the same uncertainty that the disciples felt in Matthew 14:15-21. A large crowd had followed Jesus to a remote place. They listened and watched Jesus teach and heal many throughout the day. The hour was late and Jesus asked the disciples to do something that seemed humanly impossible. They were to feed the crowd of 5000 men (not counting the women and children).
The disciples responded the same as you and I would do today. We first look at our limited resources and our inability to overcome the obstacles before us. We look around and conclude that we are inadequate compared to the task. For the disciples, they calculated the cost of feeding the crowd, examined their budget and said, “no way.” All they could do was assemble what they had and bring it to Jesus.
They brought five loaves of bread and two small fish to the master - a small boy’s lunch. Surely it was obvious that the prospect was impossible. Yet Jesus instructed that the crowd be divided into groups and sit down on the grass. The command was obeyed and after Jesus blessed the paltry meal, the disciples passed out the food and everyone ate until they were satisfied. Then, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered – a miracle was performed!
Within life and ministry, the Lord will bring impossible situations before us. They can be financial, material needs or personnel challenges that seem beyond our capability to overcome. We look at our resources, our past experiences, an uncertain future and fear and doubt seek to find footholds and cracks in which to enter. The temptation is to avoid the impossible and move toward that which we can handle and control. The truth however of the account of Matthew 14 is that in the midst of the impossible is where we will experience God and His miracle power.
If God has placed an impossible scenario before you, He already knows that it is beyond your ability, but not His. It is in the middle of the impossible that He is glorified. Don’t resist the impossible, but step out in faith that God will do what only He can do.
As I have talked to numerous ministries around the country, they all have had a miracle story to tell. They have shared with me how the Lord miraculously met a financial need that seemed overwhelming or impossible. When there was no money in the bank to pay a bill, they prayed and God met their need. Whether the need was a hundred dollars or tens of thousands of dollars, what seemed impossible was possible as God answered prayer. He has supplied personnel when they thought it was impossible and He has changed lives that seemed calloused and hard with no hope of softening, but a miracle took place. Things that only God could have done, He did!
The good news is that what He has done for others, He can do for you. You might say: “I don’t have it, I can’t pay for it, I can’t do it, I can’t finish it… But faith says that if God leads: “He has it, He can pay for it, He can do it and He will finish it!”
Please allow me to encourage you to use the account of the feeding of the 5000 as a guide to seeing God do a miracle. First, be sure that you know what God is leading you to do. Know that you know, that you know that you know, that you have heard God’s direction. Second, arrange or lay out what resources you do have at your disposal. This is important because God uses what he has already provided. For Moses, it was a staff. For David, it was a sling. Third, give it to Jesus and allow him to multiply it to accomplish what alone, you could never do. Watch God do a miracle!
If God has given you a word of direction or a vision to pursue, step out in faith and you too will have a miracle story to tell. Be encouraged, “Nothing is impossible with God!”
