Nothing is Impossible

Nothing is impossible with God! What reassuring words! However, what do they mean? Is it more than a way of saying that God is all powerful? Is it more than something we recite to ourselves when facing difficult problems? When we look at the use of this phrase in the Scriptures, it certainly is. It compels us to believe in the capacity of God’s word to us. Accordingly, it strengthens our faith to believe for the fulfilment of the promises of God in our lives.

This phrase, ‘nothing is impossible’, was first used by the Lord when He spoke to Abraham. Gen 18:14. We’ll recall the Lord promised Abraham a son in his old age. And more so, He promised him that Jesus would be born in his lineage. When we consider the gravity of this promise, it is understandable that Abraham needed encouragement in his faith. With these words, ‘nothing is impossible’, the Lord strengthened him to continue believing for the fulfilment of the word spoken to him. Paul described Abraham as being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform. Rom 4:21. Abraham did have a son, and he also looked down through the ages, and believed for the birth of Jesus.

When the time came for this promise to be fulfilled, Mary was told that Jesus, the Son of God, would be conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, the angel quoted the same words that God had spoken to Abraham. ‘For nothing will be impossible with God’. Luke 1:37. This was not a co-incidence, and these words were not empty platitudes. The Greek words that are translated ‘nothing’ are literally translated ‘not any word’. It could read, ‘not any word will be impossible with God’. This becomes more specific and full of meaning. Certainly this is the way that Mary understood it. She immediately responded, ‘Let it be done to me according to your word’. Luke 1:38. Faith had been born in her heart. And like Abraham, Mary was strengthened to believe for the fulfilment of the word spoken to her. Her cousin testified, ‘Blessed is she who believed that there will be a fulfilment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord’. Luke 1:45.

Little more than a glance at the wonder of creation will convince us that God is able to call all things into existence. However, we cannot claim that God will do anything for us, simply because nothing is impossible for Him. So we must ask the question: What do we believe for? Like Abraham, and like Mary, we believe for the fulfilment of the specific word of God spoken to us. Faith is not a ‘loose cannon’, able to be aimed at anything and everything. Faith is born in the word of God, and faith is strengthened by the word of God. With this in view, we can be fully convinced that God will fulfil all His promises to us, for ‘not any word’ is impossible with God.

David Baker

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Feature Articles
April 2008

Nothing is Impossible

The Calves of our Lips

Blind Guides

The Light of the World

Found Worthy

Seven Kingdoms

Christian Business