With God, Nothing is Impossible

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"For with God, nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:37

The picture has nothing to do with anything, except I think it's a pretty blue sky in the picture.

I've been thinking about this verse off and on over the last six weeks or so. We love this verse. Something comes up "Nothing is impossible with God" slides glibly off our tongue. I mean, really God has got this and I don't even need to show up, or do I? I think we miss a crucial part of the context here. 

What does verse 38 say? "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word...." Now, I'm no Bible scholar and I stand corrected here, but didn't Mary have a part to play in God's impossibilities?  Suppose the angel had said, "Mary, nothing is impossible with God." And Mary said, "Allrighty then, prove it, because I am going to stand here with arms crossed waiting to see." Or "I'll believe that when I see it." Or "Well, you're gonna have a hard time proving that because I'm marrying Joseph tonight, then how are you going to prove any virgin birth?" Would God still have used Mary?

I think for God to do the impossible in Mary's life, he had to have a willing Mary. And she was, she humbly submitted and said, "Whatever you need Lord, I'm your servant and I'm willing." I can only imagine the heartache and the ridicule Mary endured over the rest of her lifetime. "There's Mary, she's been married for 9 years, but has a 10 year old son, can you believe that? How shameful." Probably at the time Mary voiced her submission, she didn't fully grasp all the ramifications of it, but she understood that she was being called to something out of the ordinary, something impossible and she responded with willing surrender.

What about me? I love the verse about God doing the impossible, but I'm a little tremulous about saying, "Here I am Lord, use me." I don't always want to be a part of God's impossible. I prefer He work His impossibilities out without human hands and yet God often uses human hands to perform great things for Him, things that seem impossible until they are done with God. 

It's 2021 and many people were more than ready to say good bye to 2020, but so far there's been a lot of drama in 2021 too. And what is God calling me to do in the midst of all of it? I don't think He's calling me to stand out on the street corners hollering, but maybe He's calling me to pray for something that I think is a complete impossibility. Maybe He's calling me to spend time with someone who I am sure I will never learn to like and have no interest in trying. Are those impossibilities? Maybe they aren't on the same level as the virgin birth, but they are callings that can feel impossible to follow through on in my own strength.  

What if God just wants to see if I am willing to follow Him and obey His promptings? As hard as it is, I want to be willing to do things that seem impossible and I want to be willing, but I struggle. I like my comfortable little bubble with my chosen friends and I'm not that interested in expanding my horizon, but when God calls me I want to say, "I'm your maid servant and I'm willing to do what you are calling me to do."

What is the impossible in your life and are you willing to say, "Yes, Lord, whatever you ask of me, I will do."

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