Luke 18:27 NKJV But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
A man had a situation with his son that the Lord’s disciples could not handle. Try as hard as they could, they were not able to bring the necessary deliverance and relief. The man’s son truly had a very difficult problem that their family had been faced with since he was a child. In this case, the son had a physical condition that was brought on by a spiritual attack. Jesus said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Jesus was telling the man, “all things are possible for God,” (Mark 14:36).
We are looking for God’s help where we live and with situations that seem impossible.
The prophet Jeremiah made a bold statement of faith regarding this.
Jeremiah 32:17 NKJV ‘Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.
Do you really believe that nothing is too hard for God?
Pay attention to the many things that God has done. The One Who created heaven and earth with the word of His mouth is the same God that is working in your life. The complications of life and the difficulties you face can cause you to feel that what you are facing is impossible. If we are contending with these things on our own, we can truly come to that conclusion. Sometimes we face situations with our health that appear to have no good answers. Conflicts and trials of life may seem impossible to resolve. Sin, addictions, and temptations can leave us feeling that it is impossible.
How are we to deal with these things?
Don’t limit God with your impossibilities. God is greater and mightier.
In John 6, Jesus brought His disciples into two situations that challenged their faith and what they thought was possible.
Jesus challenged them to feed the multitudes and then they were faced with apparent death in the midst of a stormy sea. In both situations, they could see no obvious answer and their faith was challenged. As hard as they tried, there was no tangible solution for the challenge that was before them.
How do you meet a need without adequate resources? How do you survive in unexpected life-threatening storms?
Jesus wanted to teach His disciples to believe and trust God to resolve these issues.
The Lord wants us to have that same kind of faith. When you face circumstances and situations that present great challenges, you need strong faith in God.
After Jesus sat His disciples before that great multitude, He asked them,“Where can we get enough bread that these may eat?”
This same kind of thing can happen in our lives when we are faced with situations that we cannot solve.Have you taken inventory and thought, “There is not enough?” The disciples took a look at the resources they had and the great challenge that was before them, they were confident that there was no way to feed everyone. They did not have enough money, and five barley loaves and two small fish were insufficient. What Jesus was asking was not a realistic request. They thought the best solution would be to send everyone home.
Did Jesus really expect them to do something with so little?
Then the Lord started raising the multitude’s expectations. He told His disciple to make the people sit down in groups of fifty, (Luke 9:14). Now there were about 5,000 men present, and that does not take into account the number of women and children.
John 6:11 NKJV And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
Think about that last phrase: “as much as they wanted.”
I am sure that five barley loaves and two small fish would not be enough to have satisfied the 12 disciples. Jesus wanted His disciples to see that anything is possible with God.
Another key phrase is in verse 12, “After everyone was filled…”
Think about that, everyone in the great multitude had enough to be filled. This is gigantic, but the Lord was not finished. He told them to go out among the people and gather up the left-over fish and bread. They came back with twelve baskets full of fish and barley loaves.
Wait a minute!
They only started out with five small barley loaves and two small fish. Now they have twelve baskets full of fish and barley loaves.
Where did all of the excess come from?
Anything is possible with God!
As we progress in our life with Jesus, our faith and trust in God should grow. Everything that the Lord has done should increase our confidence that anything is possible with God. Every miracle, healing, and word of life should bolster faith. We should take a moment and consider how many times God has done the impossible in our lives. Jesus wants believer’s faith to be filled with expectation for miracles, signs and wonders.
After this miracle, Jesus made His disciples get into a boat and go before Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew tells us after they left, Jesus sent the multitudes away and then He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. While He was praying, the disciples were in the middle of the sea being tossed and driven by the waves and a contrary wind.
How are we supposed to react when unexpected storms blow in and our usually calm life is disrupted?
We all have unexpected storms that blow into our lives. At some point in life, we should begin believing that God is able to do what no one else can do. Our response to crisis and difficulties should be with courage and faith.
It is important to remember that Jesus was not with them in the boat.
Matthew, Mark and John tell us it was already dark when they were in the middle of the sea, and a great wind was blowing, and the sea arose.
Have you noticed that many of your storms arise when you are going through a dark time and you cannot see clearly?
Mark tells us that Jesus saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. John tells us they had been rowing the boat for three or four miles.
The last time they were in a boat in a storm, Jesus was with them.
Matthew, Mark and Luke tells us that when they thought they were going to die, Jesus spoke “Peace, be still!” and the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
This time they are in the middle of the sea, it was dark, the storm was raging, and Jesus was not with them.
Have you ever felt like the whole world was out to get you? I want to remind you that God is in control and you can trust Him with everything in your life. God’s plans for us are for good and not for evil.
If that is true, then why do we have to face the storm?
God wants you to trust Him even when you don’t have the answers you want and need.
Do you know that you can trust God with your future?
Job 23:10 NIV said it this way: “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”
The Psalmist said it this way: Psalm 37:3 KJV Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psalm 37:3 AMP Trust (lean on, rely on, and be confident) in the Lord and do good; so shall you dwell in the land and feed surely on His faithfulness, and truly you shall be fed.
When there is a demand on your resources that you cannot meet, God is able. When you are storm tossed here and there, Jesus can still speak peace to calm things down.
You are not doing this alone, the Lord your God is with you.
Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became king in Jerusalem.
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. That means he trusted the Lord and was successful in what he did. When he was twenty-nine, the king of Assyria surrounded them. This continued for three years until the Assyrians carried Israel away captive to Assyria, (2 Kings 18:6-10).
2 Kings 18:13 NIV In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all of the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.
Hezekiah tried to work this out on his own with Sennacherib.
He did everything the Assyrian king demanded and gave him 22,500 pounds of silver and 2,250 pounds of gold.
If you compromise with the enemy it always cost you more than you are able to pay.
Hezekiah stripped the gold and silver from the Lord’s temple and the royal palace, (2 Kings 18:14-16). Nothing he did stopped the insults and attack.
Deep in his soul, Hezekiah continued to trust in the Lord.
What happened with Hezekiah and the people of Judah will happen to each of you. The enemy kept saying, “Your faith and trust in God is in vain!” The king of Assyria asked, “Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?”
Has the enemy been telling you that there is no help coming for you?
It is time for you to take some action.
2 Kings 19:1 NIV84When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord.
This is where we should start with God. He is a very present help in times of trouble. After King Hezekiah turned to the Lord in prayer, the prophet Isaiah was sent with a word from the Lord.
The Lord said, “Do not be afraid of what you have heard.”
The voice of fear and doubt is not coming from God. What God was saying was not what the enemy said.
Whose report do you believe?
The situation looked terrible and frightening. Hezekiah knew that their only help comes from the Lord. With whatever you are facing, turn to the Lord. God is a very present help in the time of need. The Lord our God is a refuge and shelter in the time of the storm. He is the living God. Our God can deliver us in the times of trouble..
When you come up against your impossible situation, you need to hear what Jesus said.
Matthew 19:26 NIV84 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Is this where you are? Have you found no solution for what you are up against? Are you cornered without the resources for an answer?
You can bring your whole case before the King of kings!
When Jesus said, “With man this is impossible..”, He was telling the truth. When Hezekiah could not bribe his way out of his situation, he turned it over to God in prayer. He spread the whole situation out before God on the altar.
In 2 Kings 19:20 NIV84 The prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning…”
Let’s put this into practice right now. If you are facing something that is impossible, bring it to the Lord. With God all things are possible.
