You Can’t, But God Can

“For us, this is impossible.”

Most of us would read that as a cry of despair. But it wasn’t. The church leader said it with a smile and a twinkle in his eye. His was a small church in a poor community. They had just looked over the cost of sending one of their own people to train to become a missionary. For them, the cost wasn’t just big. It wasn’t just difficult. It was, plainly and simply, impossible.

So why did the leader smile?

He smiled because he knew he and the people gathered with him had the opportunity to be part of something amazing. They recognized the calling of one of their own as their calling, and they were willing to trust Him — to view this not as a burden, but as a promise.

“For us, this is impossible” is actually a pretty good starting point for any God-related endeavor.

At home, raising a toddler and trying to find time to study your Bible and pray? Impossible … for us.

Budget stretched tighter than a drum and trying to make room for supporting a missionary? Impossible … for us.

Facing a mountain of student loans and trying to go out as a missionary? Impossible … for us.

But don’t let that be a cry of despair. It ought to be something you and I say with a smile because we serve the God of the impossible. He doesn’t expect us to be able to do these things ourselves. He doesn’t expect us to tackle them alone. He doesn’t even want us to!

He wants us to live like each decision, each step, each stand, is impossible … for us.

He wants us to remember that each day, each hour, each minute, is impossible to even live through properly … for us.

That’s why He tells us to pray without ceasing. To abide. To stay connected to Him. To find our lives in Him.

Because with Him, nothing is impossible, and apart from Him, nothing is possible.

And then I have to ask, since we’re talking about the church in this issue of the magazine, does this only apply to individuals, or does it also apply to the body of believers?

What’s impossible for you as a church? What’s too much, too big, too hard, too expensive? To what would you say, “For us, this is impossible”?

Can you say that with a smile? With faith? Can you see this as a God-given opportunity, as a promise, rather than a burden?

You see, that poor little church found God faithful when they trusted Him to make it possible for them to send one of their own to missionary training and then to send her out as a missionary. They found blessing and growth and joy in being part of God’s work in a way that was, for them, impossible.

He will be faithful. Will you trust Him?