“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV)
God has done what I felt was impossible many times in my life. Transformation of a hardened teenager. Journey out of the pit of depression. Restoration of relationships. Opportunity to speak truth. All things I did not have understanding for how they could happen or sight to see when they would, yet they did.
The wilderness places where it’s easy to get lost and the wasteland where my spirit so easily becomes dehydrated no longer seem impossible to traverse because of the “former things” God has done in my life. He’s repeatedly worked the impossible, increasing my faith in him doing so yet again. God working the impossible in other people’s lives increases my faith, too.
“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
Consider Hebrews 11 where we can read about God’s working of the impossible in the lives of so many who had the faith to believe he could and would even though they did not understand how or when. These stories serve to increase our faith in what seems impossible through human eyes and understanding.
Unfortunately, we don’t share our impossible stories enough today. We don’t talk enough about how God worked something in our lives that once existed as beyond the limits of our imaginations. We don’t get to hear how God told someone to walk a certain path in faith and how they took step upon step before ever experiencing the fulfillment – or even any understanding – of what he was working and how.
Stories of the impossible becoming reality encourage my faith in what’s possible through God. Today’s impossible prayers, the new things (e.g., restored physical health, a young marriage transformed, relationships deepened, and purpose made clear) I’m now praying for exist because of the impossible he’s already done.
Be challenged to share your impossible stories. Tell others about what God has done in your life. Let your testimony be an expansion of what’s possible for someone else. Conversely, seek out stories of God’s impossible work and give glory to the one who defies our imagination.
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)