Does Your Situation Feel Impossible? — Vaneetha Risner
Does your situation feel impossible? Mine has.
I still remember reading the words, “nothing is impossible with God” at a low point in my life. I desperately wanted to believe them, but they seemed disconnected from my reality. They were assurances for other people, not for me. My problems seemed impossible to fix.
I had hoped for a different outcome multiple times and had been disappointed, despite my sobbing, pleading, and praying. So why would I dare to hope now?
Spiraling downward, I paused. I knew my jaded outlook was only adding to my frustration, making an agonizing situation even worse. I needed reassurance from God that he cared and that he was in this with me. I wanted hope.
So I asked God for help. As I prayed, I slowly realized that I’d been putting my hope in the wrong things. I’d been hoping for immediate change. Hoping for the outcome I wanted. Hoping that I would get the fairytale ending.
The Lord gently reminded me that my hope was in Christ alone and not in a particular outcome. I knew that truth, but I needed to remember that my Living Hope was in a person who loved me extravagantly.
That assurance comforted me, but I also needed reassurance that my struggles were not hopeless. I knew that God was FOR me and that one day I would see how he was using all my pain, but I wanted to know that God could also change the situation.
I sat before the Bible, asking the Lord to encourage me. As I flipped through underlined pages, I landed on verses that gave me hope. Verses like:
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Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
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Mark 9:23, “All things are possible for one who believes.”
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Jeremiah 32:26 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”
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Romans 4:17b, “God… gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.”
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Hebrews 11:3, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”
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Proverbs 21:1 “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.”
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Psalm 119:90-91 “Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants.”
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Matthew 17:20 “If you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
After reading, I felt a renewed sense of peace and anticipation. I needn’t assume life would be hard forever. Of course it could change. God could change it simply by saying the word.
God did change many things, though the shift was subtle and slow when I wanted flashy and immediate. But I held onto the assurance that his mercies are new every morning as God sustained me day by day. I kept praying and trusting in his grace, goodness, and power. While there are still aches and unfulfilled longings, in retrospect God truly did beyond what I could have asked or imagined.
Nothing is impossible with God, and nothing is too hard for him. God created the universe out of nothing, so even if we can’t see a flicker of hope, it’s not hopeless. He calls into existence the things that do not exist. He controls kings and leaders and can change their hearts. Everything in the universe is a servant of God.
God calls me to have faith in him. Not faith in an outcome, because I don’t know what is best. But faith that he controls the outcomes and can change my situation in an instant. I need not sink into doubt and despair as I look at the future. God is in my future. In my present. In my past.
God can move mountains in response to our prayers. He hears and responds to everything we ask. He gives us what is best. Nothing and no one are outside his control.
Maybe today you are facing something that feels impossible. Perhaps it’s hard to believe that it could ever change. Maybe you’re tired of praying and can’t see any way out.
Don’t despair. Keep talking to God and leaning into him. God is watching and listening and can move heaven and earth for you. Nothing is impossible with God.
Keep waiting. Keep praying. Keep trusting God. The story is not over yet. And when it is – when your faith becomes sight – you will see your part in the magnificent story God is writing and be thankful for every line.
