When The Impossible Is You

“For you who wonder if you’ve played too long to change, take courage from Jacob’s legacy. No man is too bad for God. To transform a riverboat gambler into a man of faith would be no easy task. But for God, it was all in a night’s work.”- Max Lucado

One of Hitler’s bodyguards was a man named Kurt Wagner. He adored Hitler, almost deifying him. At the end of the war, with Hitler dead in a Berlin bunker, Kurt’s faith was shattered and he planned a suicide. Going for a final cup of coffee, he picked up a discarded Gospel tract and read it—first carelessly and then with interest. As a result of reading this Gospel tract, he sought out someone who could talk to him about God. He found a pastor who led him to Christ. Kurt was transformed from a hardened man into a peace-loving man, and he became a new creation in Christ. Kurt became the pastor of two Methodist churches in the suburbs of Frankfurt. 

Have you ever felt like you put yourself in an impossible place? Have you ever felt that you have gone too far and done too much to be released from this impossible place.  While it can seem that way sometimes, we just need to remember who God is.  Impossibilities are the platforms upon which God does His best work. Have faith. With man it may be impossible. But with God, all things are possible. George Muller, an 18th century Christian evangelist said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” We need to raise our view of Him and realize that He is able to do the impossible. He loves the impossible place in our lives, because it is here that He will show His power and love.

The book of Daniel has its fair share of impossible situations. One example is Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fiery furnace. The three men could have bowed to temporarily satisfy the king. They could have bowed and thought “Yes, we are bowing, but God knows what is in our hearts.” But what about the next impossible situation? And the one after that? Impossible situations will always require more than you can give. So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego made no excuses and stood strong, refusing to bow down to any god other than the one true God. 

You may be facing a seemingly impossible situation of your own doing. It does not have to be a golden image made by a king. It could be your career, a relationship, an addiction. And when we place ourselves in impossible situations, we work harder to get ourselves out of those situations rather than realizing that our God is able.  We need to have the courage to say what Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said in their struggle: I know God can do it, I know that He is able and for that reason I honor Him even as I look into this fiery furnace. But if for some reason He does not do what I know He can, I will still worship Him, because my praise goes far beyond what God can do, it’s all about who He is.

You can overcome what you face. God is right beside you, and He wants to do something extraordinary in your future. We just need to remember that with God, anything is possible.

Discussion Questions:

1. Does it ever seem that what is impossible in your life is you?
2. What can we do this week to put God in charge of the impossible in our lives?