impossible things

Good morning!

Impossible things. I was contemplating two verses in Mark about the impossible and the concept seeped deeper into me as I thought about it.

“Everything is possible for him who believes.” Mark 9:23

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

The first “impossible” situation was a boy who had been afflicted since childhood with an evil spirit. The disciples were trying to cast it out and could not. Jesus did and told them that “this kind can come out only by prayer.” Mark 9:29 (some manuscripts include “fasting”)

The second “impossible” situation was a conversation about how one can “enter the kingdom of God.” The kingdom of God is pretty much the opposite of an earthly kingdom as we think of kingdoms. Our world is based on fighting for power and control and edging others out to get ahead. The kingdom of God is based on knowing that God is on the real throne. He is the one in control. Humbling ourselves is natural in this kingdom. We can see everything through the lens of His kingdom and realize how temporary all of earthly life really is. Ultimately, the thing that matters is the kingdom we spend eternity in. 

How does one get into this kingdom of God? By faith. It is a free gift but it has to be accepted. If you are handed a gift but you give it back and say “I didn’t do enough for this,” then it’s not a gift you have received. If by faith you believe that God is really on the throne and will get justice in the end for all the evil and that He sent Jesus as the way to enter into His kingdom, then the “impossible” becomes “possible.” The world’s way of getting things is to earn it/be good enough/follow the rules/climb the ladder. God’s way is to receive His gift by faith and accept the price Jesus paid that we could never earn. (How would one even know when they’d done enough?! How treacherous to try to figure that out!)

In both of the “impossible” scenarios here, the possibilities all completely open up when we see life through the kingdom of God lens. Many of the pains and sufferings of this life could be alleviated by a shift in our thinking. God is not withholding good, He is working all things for good for those who love Him. He is constantly seeking out the “one” and inviting that one into a trust bond with Him. He is doing miraculous things in small and big ways when He sees that they will work for that good. 

Sometimes we need more challenges to build our faith muscle and shift our focus. Sometimes we need to learn to be more bold and counter-cultural to reach people that have been jaded by religion.

Sometimes we need healing and God is not withholding it. He has the perfect plan.

Sometimes we need to rise up within our “non-healing” to say by faith, “You know best and if this is doing good for me or others, well then I praise You for Your perfect way.”

Impossible is not a word in the kingdom of God dictionary.

God makes the ultimate “impossible” scenario possible: having a holy God live within us via our Holy Spirit -and- entering the perfect heaven. 

Let us not be limited by what we think is impossible or possible. Let us instead focus on praising Him for exactly what He is doing in whatever unlikely/stressful situation we might be in! 

For me, the shift in focus renews my hope, makes me patient in affliction and builds up my desire to pray about all things! (Romans 12:12)