As I pondered the news, verses from earlier morning readings
drifted into my mind.
Under the heading, “A childless couple conceives,” they
detailed how God spoke to the elderly Zachariah through an angel about his wife,
Elizabeth, also advanced in years, and how she’d bear a son who’d be called
John.
The next section tells how a virgin, Mary,
conceives. The angel who spoke to Mary said, “And did you know that your cousin
Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here
she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God” (Luke1:36-38 The Message).
The obvious connection between these passages and the next
reading from Psalm 138 is a strong thread of thanksgiving, first in Elizabeth’s
response to her pregnancy in Luke 1, next in Mary’s magnificat, and finally in Psalm 138 where the Psalmist declares “Thank
you! Everything in me says ‘Thank you!’”
However, when I received the disturbing report, I remembered
that Psalm 138 ends, “When I walk into the thick of trouble, keep me alive
in the angry turmoil. With one hand, strike my foes, with your other hand save
me. Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal—don’t quit on
me now” (Psalm 138: 7-8 The Message).
When we face an impossible situation, the “thick of trouble,”
it’s so easy to throw up our hands at a bad report, and just go with it. Oh well, at least we prayed, or these things
happen. Yet, we ought to stand tall and say with the Psalmist, “Strike my
foes and with your other hand save me,” and remember the words the angel spoke
to Mary, “Nothing . . . is impossible with God.” True to what He had spoken,
the elderly Elizabeth conceived, and Mary gave birth to Jesus.
Both of these women faced their own version of impossible,
yet they trusted God. Advent is a season of preparation to celebrate the most
exquisite, impossible thing God ever did in being birthed by a virgin, becoming
flesh and dwelling among us, then dying on a cross for us so that we could
live.
I do not know what God’s plans for my friend are, but I know
they’re good ones. And she will be healed, hopefully in this life, but definitely
in the next one. But, as long as she has breath, I will stand with her in
prayer and trust that God can do the impossible. When I had cancer, I didn’t
want folks discussing my “sad” situation behind my back. No, I wanted people
who would speak blessing over me and trust God for my healing.
If you have your own version of impossible, rehearse the
things God has already done. Have hope, because He’s still doing them.
That’s what I intend to do for my friend, because for God,
impossible is nothing.
If you're puzzling over what to give for Christmas, might you consider Home to Currahee or Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees?
Both available for purchase HERE.
Both available for purchase HERE.